Thursday's Tip: PDF Champions

A "thank you" goes a long way. One of the most important pieces of your PDF Champions event is making sure you say "thank you" to your participants, volunteers and sponsors for their support of Parkinson's research.

You can send an email, invest in inexpensive thank you notes or use the sample thank you letter located in your PDF Champions Welcome Packet as guide. Make sure to highlight the successes of your event; why their participation meant so much to you; how many guests attended; and the total amount raised for Parkinson's. You can even include photos, a video or news articles of your event!

Letting your supporters know how much you value them and their help in finding a cure for Parkinson's disease can make all the difference!

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!

PDF Champions Friday!

For PDF Champions Friday, we would like to highlight Ellene Warren of Los Angeles, CA. Ellene is a great example of someone using  creativity to fundraise for a cure for Parkinson's disease!

She has crafted a collection of handmade, crocheted cuffs. She designed this collection specifically to sell and raise money to help fight Parkinson's disease. As a caregiver to a person with Parkinson's, Ellene knows first hand the importance of funding critical research. 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit PDF!

Thank you so much for your time and generosity, Ellene!

Please visit Elene's webpage on Etsy.com to purchase one of these beautiful handmade cuffs.

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!

Walk Over the Water: PDF Champions

Thank you to the Parkinson's Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley for hosting the 2nd Annual Walk Over the Water event on April 29 in Poughkeepsie, NY to benefit PDF!

PDF Champion and chair of the support group, Nancy Redkey, helped to make this walk an amazing success. More than 200 people, including Karlin Schroeder, PDF's Advocacy Relations Manager, took part in the walk located at Walkway Over the Hudson. We are thrilled to report that nearly $17,000 was raised for Parkinson's research!

This is the second year the Parkinson's Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley has hosted Walk Over the Water. Nancy and the group were featured in PDF's Parkinson's Awareness Month Tool Kit and Posters.

Please take a few moments to read the article about Walk Over the Water featured in today's Poughkeepsie Journal. 

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!

PDF Champions Friday!

Tomorrow, PDF Champion Jennifer Neathery will be running 26.2 miles in the St. Jude Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN all to benefit Parkinson's disease research!

Ms. Neathery, an avid runner, was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease seven years ago at 32. Despite her Parkinson's symptoms, she decided to partake in the run to challenge herself and prove to others that Parkinson's doesn't mean "giving up being active and living a good life."

Please take a moment to check out Jennifer's story featured on the Alabama Local News webpage. 

Thank you for making a difference in the fight against Parkinson's disease, Jennifer!

If you are interested in supporting Jennifer Neathery please visit her PDF Champions fundraising webpage.

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!

Afternoon Tea: PDF Champions

Tea, anyone? On Saturday, April 21, PDF Champion Linda Habenstreit held an afternoon tea and jewelry sale to benefit Parkinson's research at her home in Springfield, VA.

Linda encouraged her friends and family to purchase a piece of jewelry at afternoon tea all in the name of finding a cure for Parkinson's. Linda raised $700 in total!

Congratulations on a successful event, Linda!

Photo taken at afternoon tea. From left to right are: Linda Habenstreit (holding Dodie), Ghislaine Sonies, Donna Groves, and Nancy Benjamin (holding Theo).

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!

Wednesday Picture Day: PDF Champions

A special thank you goes out to Linda Morgan for raising awareness of Parkinson's disease this April! Linda is a member of PDF's People With Parkinson's Advisory Council (PPAC) and a dedicated PDF Research Advocate. On Monday, April 23, Linda hosted a screening of the film Just Around the Corner at her local movie theater in Asheville, NC, followed by a question and answer session with a panel of people with Parkinson's.

The documentary by Flat Broke Productions follows the story of Bob Benjamin, a music industry veteran and founder of the Light of Day Foundation, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 38. The film documents the challenges of living with Parkinson’s disease and how Mr. Benjamin responded to the diagnosis. He chose to fight back, and as his weapon, he chose something near and dear to him, rock n’ roll.

Light of Day Foundation has been a big supporter of PDF over the years; generously providing PDF with funding for Parkinson's research. At PDF's 2010 Gala Bob Benjamin and the Light of Day Foundation were awarded the Page and William Black Humanitarian award.

As a PDF Champion, you too can host a movie night to benefit Parkinson's research.  Ask your local theater to donation one of their theaters at an off time or you can even host the event at your home. Collect admissions, sell popcorn, candy and drinks with proceeds benefiting PDF!

Remember the Cure Begins With YOU!

Congratulations to Brooklyn Sports Club: PDF Champions

I wanted to follow up on a very special event that was highlighted a few weeks ago on the PDF Champions blog. Aqua-Thon: Splash for a Cause hosted by Brooklyn Sports Club under the direction of Aquatics Director, Michael Hornung.

The Aqua-Thon was held this past Saturday, April 21 and was a great success! The Aqua-Thon included a gentle swim, aqua aerobics, aqua Zumba, children's swim, raffles, games, informational materials about Parkinson's disease, food and music! Donation cards were also sold and displayed for all to see.

The event raised over $3,100 for Parkinson's research!

Eddie Pelto, PDF's Director of Development, had the pleasure of attending the event and took some fantastic photos. Please check them out.

Remember: The Cure Begins With YOU!