The Shoe Maven

The Shoe Maven Launches Groundbreaking Social Media Campaign to Raise Awareness of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease - in Partnership with Team Fox

 Tonya Walker

ORLANDO, Fla., April 4, 2016 

In support of Parkinson's Disease Awareness month, Tonya Walker (a.k.a. The Shoe Maven) has launched the "Heels On, Head Up!" social media campaign in partnership with Team Fox – the grassroots fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation ("MJFF"). The essential purpose of the campaign is to change the perception that Parkinson's disease only affects the elderly. 

Tonya explains, "As a person diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease, I am all too familiar with the negative impacts of that misperception."

The Heels On, Head Up! campaign encourages women to post photos in their favorite heels on Instagram and Facebook to raise awareness of young onset Parkinson's. Along with their personal message of support, participants are asked to hashtag the photo with #HeelsOnHeadUp and #GoTeamFox, and tag three friends to join them in supporting awareness. This fun and fashionable approach reaches a broader, younger audience and provides encouragement to those battling the daily challenges of Parkinson's. 

"I believe that dramatic strides can be made to change public perception through the power of social media," says Tonya.  

Tonya announced the campaign with a video filmed in the Bloomingdale's Orlando shoe department. The video quickly gained significant organic reach on Facebook. MJFF also announced the campaign on its FoxFeed Blog.  

The Heels On, Head Up! campaign is supported by popular style bloggers, who are promoting the campaign on their social media channels as Campaign Ambassadors. As the campaign progresses, it is anticipated that well-recognized public figures will participate. 

In addition to raising awareness, the campaign encourages donations to MJFF, which contributes 100% of all Team Fox donations to research. Bloomingdale's Orlando is generously supporting the campaign by donating 10% of in-store shoe sales to MJFF throughout April. OHBON is also supporting the campaign by donating 15% of sales during the month of April when customers use a designated code at checkout.  

About The Shoe Maven: 

Tonya Walker is a 40-plus-year-old mom, law professor and self-confessed shoe addict. She uses her popular fashion and lifestyle blog, "The Shoe Maven", to raise awareness of young onset Parkinson's disease. Tonya was diagnosed with Parkinson's in her early thirties and has undergone two Deep Brain Stimulation surgeries to manage the symptoms.

Tonya and her husband, Chad, are heavily involved in supporting the research for a cure through Team Fox. Their largest fundraising event is The Art of Fashion, which merges Central Florida's art and fashion communities in a truly unique format. In addition, Chad recently completed the NYC Half Marathon as a Team Fox member.

Contact: Chad Walker 904-477-8089

SOURCE  Tonya Walker

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