Fundraising Efforts Continue for Jody Rech

Fundraising efforts are continuing to benefit Jody Rech, a Meridian Middle School teacher who is recovering from multiple injuries after being hit by a dump truck while riding his bicycle. 

Ticket sales are underway for a Nov. 17 benefit concert, and raffle prizes are still needed, said David Wells, a friend of Rech who helping to organize the event.

T-shirt sales will also benefit the family, but the shirts will only be available if at least 75 are ordered by Monday, according to the fundraising site. As of Sunday, the fundraiser was 14 shirts shy of that goal. 

Rech, who previously taught fifth grade, most recently worked as a creativity innovation specialist at Meridian. The accident occurred during the first week of the school year, and he was released from the hospital on Oct. 9, his wife wrote on her Caring Bridge page.

“Even though he has made tremendous gains in a short amount of time, he still has a long recovery road ahead of him and he will need a good amount of time for all of these fractures and the brain injuries to heal. Not an easy message to sell someone who wants to get back to a normal life as fast as he can,” Conna Rech wrote in an Oct. 17 update.

Meanwhile, friends and colleagues continue to rally for Rech.

“It’s pretty earth-shattering,” said Rech’s friend and former colleague Barry Nagle. The two taught fifth grade together for a decade before Nagle retired in 2009.

Nagle, who plays the guitar, will be among the performers at the Nov. 17 fundraiser in Rech’s honor. The event, Rech Razor, will run from 3-8 p.m. at Austin’s Fuel Room in Libertyville. It will feature the music of the Yadi Yodi Band, which will play Rech’s own music as well as some of his favorite covers. Other musicians, including Nagle, will take turns backing the band. 

“It’s kind of a nice opportunity for these people who have been involved with Jody in various capacities to raise money for his long-term rehabilitation and therapies,” Nagle said.

“I’ve been rehearsing and working on it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really neat thing. A lot of these guys are really psyched to help out.”

How You Can Help:

• Reserve a ticket for the Nov. 17 fundraiser
• Order a Rech Razor T-shirt
• Donate a raffle or silent auction prize by emailing rechraffle@gmail.com