Parkinson's Pals Continues to Raise Funds for a Cure P arkinson’s Pals fifth annual fundraiser is slated for July 17, with the goal of raising more funds to help find a cure for and create awareness about Parkinson’s Disease. This year’s event, “Party in CLE for Parkinson’s,” will be held at The Arcade, a Cleveland landmark at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland. Since its inception in 2010, Parkinson’s Pals has raised more than $250,000 toward this goal and, along with other Parkinson’s community leaders, has helped bring national attention to Cleveland as being in the forefront of combatting this disease and providing services for people who live with Parkinson’s. When Sharon Meckler Roth’s father died of Parkinson’s in 2000, most people she encountered had a limited understanding of the disease, and she struggled to find a Parkinson’s organization for donations in his memory. When Jamie Askari’s husband Arman was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s, the young family’s life changed, with Arman ultimately retiring from his thriving cardiology practice. Askari, Roth, and a group of others similarly affected by Parkinson’s Disease, worked together to form Parkinson’s Pals. Until Michael J. Fox shared the news that he had young-onset Parkinson’s in 1998 (seven years after his 1991 diagnosis), public understanding for the disease was minimal, and it is still common for Parkinson’s patients to feel very alone, hide their illness and even become housebound. Parkinson’s Pals has donated $185,000 to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (where Parkinson’s Pals was recognized at a Fox Foundation MVP event); funded Dr. Cameron McIntyre’s Neuromodulation Center at Case Western Reserve University, that focuses on Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and explores what is necessary to combat the effects of PD; funded Dr. Hubert Fernandez at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Neurological Restoration for clinical research projects, to help Parkinson’s patients who are suffering from non-motor problems of this devastating disease; and donated to InMotion, a community-based, nonprofit support center in Warrensville Heights, that focuses on the programs and services that integrate the physical, medical, and emotional dimensions of wellness for persons with Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders, which opened in March 2015. “We are thrilled with the response from our community to help raise funds for Parkinson’s, and we feel incredibly grateful that Cleveland has emerged as such a strong leader in the fight to cure this disease and help people who have it,” Roth said. “Parkinson’s Pals is committed to supporting research at the Fox Foundation and locally, and we’re very excited to be a part of funding In-Motion, which is already making a huge difference in the lives of Parkinson’s patients in our community.” Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder of unknown cause that affects nearly 5 million individuals worldwide, with approximately 35,000 in Northeast Ohio. Along with fellow board-member Sheila Margolis, Roth and Askari are chairpersons for the July 17 fundraiser, and not only were all three raised and educated in Beachwood, but also many of the committee are Beachwood alumna, including Amy Berns, Sherri Blaushild, Andi Fenton, Marci Garson, Kerry Glueck, Karen Hess, Leslie Goodman and Lori Sonkin. Committee members Jodi Tucker and Laura Halpert are current Beachwood residents. “Party in CLE for Parkinson’s” will include dinner, drinks, dessert, live music, and a raffle. Sponsors include Beachwood-Westlake Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa; Alson; Benesch Attorneys at Law; Cohen & Company; Famous Supply; Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.; Marcus & Millichap; Marlen; and Sonkin-Koberna. Tickets are on sale to the public and may be purchased at www.ParkinsonsPals.org or Parkinson’s Pals, PO Box 241126, Cleveland, OH 44124, and tax-deductible donations are also welcome. For more information, about Parkinson’s Disease: Parkinson’s Pals: www.ParkinsonsPals.org InMotion: www.beinmotion.org 216-342-4417 Michael J. Fox Foundation: www.michaeljfox.org Shaking With Laughter: www.shakingwithlaughter.org Painting With Parkinson’s: www.paintingwithparkinsons.com Davis Phinney Foundation: www.davisphinneyfoundation.org For more information, contact Karen Hess at khesspr@aol.com or 216.973.6821. InMotion Grand Opening Celebration InMotion, a new wellness center supporting clients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, recently hosted a grand-opening celebration at 4829 Galaxy Parkway, Suite M, Warrensville Heights, Ohio. The Center dedicated an art gallery in the name of Allan Goldberg; the living room in the name of Lee, Amy and the Handel family; and the vestibule in the name of Parkinson’s Pals. InMotion is a nonprofit entity. InMotion Rationale There are close to 35,000 people with Parkinson’s disease in Northeast Ohio. By offering multiple services that are custom tailored to the needs of this community, InMotion provides a unique approach to supporting both the needs of movement-disorder clients and the needs of those who care about them. InMotion offers physical, social, and educational programming FREE OF CHARGE and all in one center. This is the first center of its kind in the United States. Services InMotion offers non-medical services, supporting those with Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders. Services include: ongoing physical wellness programs designed to aid those with movement disorders, client and carepartner support groups, healing arts programs, ongoing Speaker Series, and Doctors Forums organized by Dr. David Riley. InMotion is currently operating Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and registration is always open. Help Spread the Word We want to reach as many people in the northeast Ohio region as possible. Contact us to learn more about our supportive community. For more information, visit beinmotion.org or call 216.342.4417. 54 Beachwood Buzz n June 2015