Parkinson’s Superwalk fundraising event to be held Aug. 21 at Mariners Centre in Yarmouth

August 19, 2016

YARMOUTH, N.S. – Jacqueline Landry will be in Halifax Sept. 10 for this year’s Parkinson SuperWalk, but the Yarmouth County resident also wanted to support the cause with an event that’s closer to home.

On Sunday, Aug. 21 – three weeks before the Halifax walk – a Parkinson’s fundraiser will be held at the Mariners Centre.

The event is scheduled for 2 to 4:30 p.m. and will include a dance and drum fitness session from 2 to 3 p.m. and a yoga session from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. People can participate in one or the other or both for a $10 fee. The afternoon will include the raffling off of a world junior hockey sweater and a native drum. There also will be a bake sale and 50-50 draw.

The 41-year-old Landry – who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when she was 38 (although she says the condition has been traced back to when she was a teenager) – spoke of what inspired her to organize the Yarmouth event.

“What really got the ball rolling was my contact with a family in New Brunswick,” she said. “They have a two-year-old. He’s the youngest diagnosed Parkinson’s patient in the world, Keegan Mclellan. I was talking to his family and I said ‘okay, that’s it. I’m going to do something.’ So I went to the Mariners Centre and asked them if they would donate the facility. They said yes.”

Proceeds from the Yarmouth event will go to the SuperWalk campaign, the largest nationwide fundraiser for Parkinson Canada.

For anyone interested in taking part in the exercise sessions, Landry says they should bring a yoga mat, a towel and some water.

“If people want to watch, they can make a donation and just sit in the stands and watch,” she said. “We want as many people to come to the event as possible. If they can’t come to the event, they can also sponsor online.”

She encourages people to go to her Facebook page to find out more or to support the cause.

She says she wants to make the Yarmouth event an annual one. Ultimately, she says she would like to bring the SuperWalk itself to Yarmouth.

It’s all part of an effort to support those affected by Parkinson’s disease, Landry says.

“I’m a very positive person and I want to help people,” she said.

http://www.thevanguard.ca/Living/2016-08-19/article-4619665/Parkinson%26rsquo%3Bs-Superwalk-fundraising-event-to-be-held-Aug.-21-at-Mariners-Centre-in-Yarmouth/1