“Moving Day” event for Parkinson’s raises $75,000 North Scottsdale team among top fundraisers

By Sonoran News -  November 19, 2019

(L-R) Carol Creekman, Captain Cathy Boss-Fessel, Kathy De Marco, Anne Prine. Unable to attend: Team members Terry McNeice and her two grandchildren.

NORTH SCOTTSDALE – On Saturday, November 9, hundreds of people gathered at Kiwanis Park in Tempe for the first annual, Valley-wide “Moving Day Phoenix” event that raised almost $75,000 to combat Parkinson’s Disease (PD). 

North Scottsdale’s Team Terravita Walkers, with seven members, raised more than $2,600 to place second in donations for the event out of 44 teams. 

The Parkinson’s Foundation charity fundraiser celebrates movement, which is proven to help manage PD symptoms. The Foundation’s mission is to make life better for people affected by PD by delivering quality care, funding cutting-edge research and providing free resources to patients and their families. 

“For me and the team, participating in Moving Day is personal,” said Terravita Walkers Team Captain Cathy Boss-Fessel. “All of us at the event have or had family members affected by PD. I walk to honor the memory of my late father, Jerry ‘Boss Man’ Boss, who lived with Parkinson’s for many years.”

“In Arizona the Parkinson’s Foundation has invested almost $400,000 in research to better understand PD and improve patient care,” said Robin Rhea, Parkinson’s Foundation development manager. “Funds raised will help support, among others, the Phoenix-based Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence.

“For everyone with PD, an accurate diagnosis is critical because treatments and resources are available to help patients live a better life with the disease. It’s also important for U.S. veterans to know that many with PD can qualify for veterans’ benefits.”

Since 2011, Moving Day events across the country have gathered more than 130,000 participants and raised nearly $22 million.

Moving Day celebrates movement with a family-friendly walk course; audience participation movement activities including boxing, exercises, dance and song; a caregivers relaxation tent and more. Sponsor booths offer free product, service and resource information. Details of the 2020 event will be announced in coming months.

Affecting nearly one million Americans and 10 million people worldwide, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s. It is the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. In Arizona there are an estimated 18,000 people with PD who are age 45 or older. 

The Parkinson’s Foundation, founded in 1957, has achieved a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities.

For more information:

Those affected by PD and related diseases such as Lewy Body Dementia can find more information about managing symptoms, caring for the caregiver, planning for hospital stays and additional resources at:

• Far North Scottsdale Parkinson’s Support Group: Meets 1st Thursday of each month at Desert Mission United Methodist Church, 7373 E. Dixileta Dr., Scottsdale, from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Contact: Kris Watts, 602-406-4921 or Kristina.watts@dignityhealth.org 

• Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center: https://www.barrowneuro.org/get-to-know-barrow/centerprograms/muhammad-ali-parkinson-center/ 

• Parkinson’s Foundation: http://www.parkinson.org/; toll-free, bi-lingual help line, 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636); helpline@parkinson.org

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