Display the Quilt
Display the Parkinson’s Quilt in your community to show the impact of PD on your community.
Who's Raising Awareness?
All over the US and the world, individuals like you are making a difference all year round, particularly during April which is designated as Parkinson's Awareness Month. Read some inspiring stories of 2011 and 2010 awareness raisers. Also, please let us know what you're doing to raise awareness in your community by emailing info@pdf.org. Select stories may be featured on the website.
2011
2010
- Lemonade Stand Supports PDF
- Fight to Win: Arizona Mom Wins PDF's Parkinson's Awareness Month T-Shirt Contest
- Comedy Fan and PR Veteran Lobbies for Parkinson’s Awareness Month in Two Cities
- Artist Brings Passion for Music and Martinis to Parkinson’s Quilt Project
Research Advocates Make an Impact in 2011
The Parkinson's Advocates in Research Program (PAIR) now boasts more than 100 research advocates who have undergone a three-day training to play a part in Parkinson's therapy development. The group has also proven that they can take on Parkinson's Awareness Month with dedication that has impressed us all!
For instance Patti Meese (above right) of Arizona received a proclamation making awareness month official from the Scottsdale, AZ mayor.
And she's not the only one. Jim Patterson (left) of Florida also lobbied for a proclamation in the town of Dunedin, Florida and found success.
Not only that, Carolyn Weaver (right) of Michigan is visiting support groups all over the state, bringing her message and awareness month posters to each one!
In other news, Gordie Guist of Maine (left), has set up a library display with posters and materials for those visiting his library.
How can you raise awareness? Check out the 2011 toolkit for tips and resources.
Lemonade Stand Supports PDF
How can you help support the cure? Hold an event — a bake sale, a car wash, even setting up a lemonade stand can help. In the fight against Parkinson’s disease, every penny counts! Here’s a story that reminds us that contributions come in all shapes and sizes.
The following is a letter received by PDF.
June 14, 2010
Dear Parkinson’s Disease Foundation,
I just wanted to let you all know about something special my kids did.
One Saturday in May, my children, Matthew, age 10 and Juliana, age eight and their friend, Canyon, decided to operate a lemonade stand in front of our house.
They had been outside for a while and had already needed a refill on the lemonade when I went out to check on them. I was wearing my Parkinson’s Awareness Month T-shirt and they asked me about it. So I explained what PDF was and a little about Parkinson’s disease.
My son said, “Hey! That gives me an idea. Let’s donate the money we make to PDF to help Honey!” (Honey is their Grandmother who has Parkinson’s). They all agreed to donate it. I was very proud of them and think it is a great thing to do with their money!
Please accept the donation of $20.40 from my children’s lemonade stand.
Thank you.
Rhonda Cabello
Fight to Win: Arizona Mom Wins PDF’s Parkinson’s Awareness Month T-Shirt Contest
Heather Hinrichsen’s Fight to Win design for Parkinson’s Awareness Month was featured on a t-shirt worn by hundreds of people throughout the US last year. She submitted her design to the PDF Parkinson’s Awareness Month T-Shirt Contest in early 2010 and received over 800 of the 1,900 votes, beating four other designs. What’s the story behind her design and how did she do it?
Ms. Hinrichsen, 36 years old, lives with young-onset Parkinson’s. A busy mom, she and her husband Todd have two children, ages 2 and 3. She does her best to check the websites of Parkinson’s organizations, such as PDF, every few weeks. In February, she found a story about PDF’s Parkinson’s Awareness Month T-Shirt Contest. An avid scrapbooker, Ms. Hinrichsen wanted to try her hand at it. She and Todd had previously discussed designing a Parkinson’s t-shirt, so she thought, “Why not design it for the contest?”
Ms. Hinrichsen’s design, featured above, includes the phrase, Fight to Win, a message that seemed to resonate with the voters who pushed her design to the top of the list. She chose this phrase because it’s something she has done herself while coping with young- onset Parkinson’s.
Ms. Hinrichsen was diagnosed at the age of 33, when her first child was just three months old. She fought to come to terms with her diagnosis as a young mom, to find the right doctor to address her needs as a young person with Parkinson’s, and to find support from people who could understand what she was going through. Less than two years after her diagnosis, she and Todd had their second child. She is now a stay-at-home mom to her two young children and occasionally still works in a volunteer capacity in her career as a physician assistant, for example, recently flying to Haiti with a medical team to assist with earthquake relief efforts. She also found friendship among a support group made up solely of young mothers who are living with PD.
What is her hope for the awareness t-shirt? Ms. Hinrichsen says, “First, I hope that by sharing my story, people will realize that Parkinson’s is not just an older person’s disease. It can strike younger people. Through the shirt design, I also want to spread the message to everyone to fight PD. I plan to fight until I win - I have PD, but it doesn't have me."
PDF congratulates Ms. Hinrichsen on her winning design. This year, Ms. Hinrichsen sat on the committee for the t-shirt contest, whose winner will be announced shortly.
Comedy Fan and PR Veteran Lobbies for Parkinson’s Awareness Month in Two Cities
Before 2010, Terry Shapiro had been an active advocate in April … for comedy. As a public relations professional, she had helped client and friend Steven E. Kimbrough to promote Aprilfest Comedy Marathon – a International month-long celebration of comedy - and to have April 5 recognized as an International Day of Comedy.
When Ms. Shapiro was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease less than two years ago, April took on new meaning as Parkinson’s Awareness Month. So this year, she spoke with Mr. Kimbrough about pairing Aprilfest with Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Together they planned a night of comedy for Parkinson’s, which took place on April 3 at Bluebird Café in Culver City, CA. The event garnered a crowd of family and friends, and media coverage for the Parkinson’s cause. Performing comedians included national headliners who have appeared on various television shows, including Last Comic Standing and others on Showtime.
Ms. Shapiro didn’t stop there. In PDF’s 2010 Toolkit, she found the 2010 Parkinson’s Awareness Month Proclamation, which individuals can bring to their public officials to be signed as an official recognition of Awareness Month. For instance, the US senate recently signed a national proclamation. Many local officials across the US are also taking part, thanks to advocates like Ms. Shapiro. She lobbied not just one, but two local officials – Whittier Mayor Bob Henderson and Culver City Governor Andrew Weissman – to recognize Parkinson’s Awareness Month in their respective cities. (The Whitter Proclamation is featured above, at right).
Ms. Shapiro says she hopes her activities this month help to promote PD research, “The more that the public understands the challenges of Parkinson’s and the more that individuals are doing things to raise awareness, the easier it will be for researchers to make progress in finding the causes of Parkinson’s. I want to do what I can to help in reaching that goal.”
To join Terry Shapiro in her commitment to bringing awareness to Parkinson's through a new webisode series, "The Dopamine Express" visit, www.thedopamineexpress.com.
Artist Brings Passion for Music and Martinis to Parkinson’s Quilt Project
Parkinson’s Awareness Month efforts come in very creative forms. Larry Schneider Jr., for example, recently used his talents to contribute to the Parkinson’s Quilt, a project led by PDF that seeks to raise awareness of Parkinson’s and the need for a cure.
Mr. Schneider, 40, has lived with Parkinson’s since the age of 27. An artist for his entire life—a free hand illustrator in college and now a professional computer graphic artist— he wanted to use his skills to make a difference for a very personal cause. He found a way to do so through the Quilt, the first project of its kind for Parkinson’s.
Mr. Schneider decided to create a light-hearted quilt panel that would reflect his positive attitude and the enjoyment he finds in creative activities. His contribution is entitled, ‘Park N Sons Martini Bar and Lounge (Always shaken, never stirred).’ The brightly colored panel (featured at right) made with colored pencils/markers and fabric paints features a martini glass at its center, accompanied by several bold, colorful tulips and an illustration of a martini bar and lounge banner. To spread the word about the Parkinson’s Quilt Project and its purpose, Mr. Schneider posted news and photos about his panel on Facebook. He was touched by the positive response he received from nearly 100 friends and family members.
Shortly after creating this first quilt, he saw a posting asking for musicians to submit quilt panels to be displayed at PDF’s annual gala, Bal du Printemps. The event was focused on the power music, in large part because honored Bob Benjamin of the Light of Day Foundation, who has raised over $1 million for PD by hosting concerts all over the world. Mr. Schneider put his efforts into creating yet another panel. This one features an image of him playing bass guitar, with a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
Certainly his endeavor is admirable. To use his own words, “With the support of friends and family, I was able to get my project off the ground. I’m an artist, so if I can provide images, quilt pieces, or electronic art, that will help this cause, I’ll do so. I feel positive about anything I can do to help raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease.”
Mr. Schneider’s quilt and those of nearly 600 other individuals was displayed for the first time at the World Parkinson Congress in Glasgow, Scotland in September 2010. Blocks of the quilt are now available for rental by the general public.
Learn More About the Parkinson’s Quilt
