From Adversity to Advocacy: Charities Volant Trust & Lumos.org

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The Legacy That Inspires Millions”

How one woman’s journey through grief and hardship led to the creation of two powerful charities – and why her story continues to inspire global change.

When we think of JK Rowling, most picture the global Harry Potter phenomenon. But behind the fame is a woman who once lived on state benefits, writing in cafes while caring for a young child as a single mother battling grief after losing her mother to Multiple Sclerosis.

Today, her journey continues far beyond books. It lives on through her charitable work, work that deserves the spotlight just as much as her literary success.

The Volant Trust – Fighting Inequality with Compassion

Founded in 2000, the Volant Trust supports projects that alleviate social deprivation, with a strong focus on women, children, and vulnerable groups, particularly in crisis situations.

Key areas of support include:

• Helping women and children facing domestic abuse
• Supporting refugees and asylum seekers
• Backing charities helping those facing severe social hardship
• Funding research and projects tackling Multiple Sclerosis

🔗 www.volanttrust.org

Lumos – A World Where Every Child Belongs in a Family

Lumos, named after the magical light spell in the Harry Potter series, is a charity Rowling founded in 2005 to end the institutionalisation of children worldwide.

Its mission: to ensure that all children grow up in safe, caring families, not in orphanages.

Lumos works globally to:

• Reunite families separated by poverty or disability
• Reform care systems and close institutions
• Train governments and communities to provide family-based care

🔗 www.wearelumos.org

Why This Matters Personally

As the editor of Disabled Entrepreneur UK, I resonate deeply with Rowling’s journey. I, too, am a writer and, like her, I’ve experienced hardship, trauma, and grief while building a better life, not for fame or fortune, but to create impact.

More personally, my daughter has Multiple Sclerosis, just like Rowling’s late mother. The fatigue, the pain, the silent battles, they are real, they are raw, and they are often invisible. Seeing a public figure channel her grief into meaningful change gives people like us hope and a sense of solidarity.

Let’s End the Stigma Together

JK Rowling is proof that those on welfare are not “scroungers,” but survivors. Dreamers. Innovators. Parents are doing their best. Advocates in the making. Writers of their destinies.

We should never judge a person based on their circumstances, because the next world-changer might be sitting at a kitchen table, surviving on toast, and dreaming of something better.

By sharing and supporting Volant Trust and Lumos, we amplify the message that every life has value, and that support systems, when empowered and compassionate, can spark miracles.

How You Can Help

• Visit Volant Trust and Lumos
• Share this article to raise awareness
• Support families living with MS and hidden disabilities
• Challenge stereotypes around benefits and poverty
• Empower the next generation of creators, like JK Rowling once was, and like so many still are

Final Thoughts

Whether through fiction or philanthropy, JK Rowling reminds us of something simple but profound: light can come from even the darkest of places.

And with more awareness, more kindness, and more unity, we can be the lumos for others, too.

Further Reading:

• JK Rowling: ‘I was stigmatised as a single mum on benefits’ | Closer
• JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | TED Talk
• JK Rowling: People defined me as a single mother on benefits and assumed I wasn’t fit to raise my child | The Independent | The Independent
• Home | MS Trust
• JK Rowling forced to skip some events over fears of being targeted for standing up for women
• Living On Welfare – From An Impoverished Single Mom To World’s Richest Writer, A Look At JK Rowling’s Incredible Journey | The Economic Times
• https://disabledentrepreneur.uk/dismantling-superiority-why-some-universal-credit-and-dwp-staff-talk-down-to-claimants/
• Amnesty International