Laura Hanf at The Stone Pony

Team Fox member Laura Hanf will stop at nothing to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease research. Diagnosed with young onset in 2010, Laura went into denial and hid her symptoms for over a year, telling only her immediate family. After coming to terms with her diagnosis, Laura has made many small steps to support the Foundation’s mission.

Laura joined Team Fox in 2011 and raised $700 at her inaugural charity yard sale. Energized by the support of her own community and that in the Team Fox Facebook and MJFF Facebook worlds, Laura knew she was just getting started. She signed up for Fox Trial Finderand began thinking about her 2012 fundraising efforts.

This year, she had her second annual yard sale and raised another $400 for Team Fox. Now that that is out of the way, she is turning her attention to two more Team Fox fundraisers. At the end of June, she will be collecting donations during a concert with Tramps Like Us, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The concert is on Friday, June 29, and will feature 33 songs, including one dedicated to Team Fox. While ticket sales from the show will not benefit Team Fox, Laura will be there collecting donations and educating guests on Parkinson’s disease.

Laura explains, “Being a member of Team Fox and holding these fundraisers give me a great sense of accomplishment as I feel I’m doing something not only for myself, but also for the millions of those[with] Parkinson’s disease.” Visit Laura’s Team Fox page to learn more and stay tuned for her September plans, which include a bowling event and auction in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

Tramps Like Us

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There are group runs being hosted all around the country, and TEAM FOX will be hosting a run at 6:30 PM in NY’s Central Park. We invite all runners of all abilities to join.  RSVP to teamfox@michaeljfox.org to let us know you’ll be joining us.  Wear your Michael J. Fox Foundation, Team Fox or orange gear to show your support.

Whether you run on your own in your neighborhood or with a big group, take the pledge to get out and run!

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The Team Fox Young Professionals of Chicago will host their first annual Party Like a Fox soiree on Friday, June 1st, 2012. They are hosting a soiree at the Grossinger Autoplex, located at 1530 North Dayton, Chicago, IL. Featured restaurant tastings by Heaven on Seven, The Purple Pig, Terzo Piano, Bar Toma, GT Fish & Oyster, Salatino’s Paramount Events, Urban Belly, Gibson’s, La Szechuan, Capannari’s Ice Cream, and more – accompanied by wine pairings from Brian Duncan of Bin 36. Live music will be performed by Chicago band, XFactor. In addition, there will be a silent auction, creative cocktails, craft beers, special guests, and more.

Founded in the fall of 2011, many members have been directly impacted by Parkinson’s with a family member, close friend or loved one currently battling the illness. In addition to the gala, members host cooking, wine tasting, and other fund raising events. “We want to be the positive impact on our community that contributes to this cause,” said Co-Chair Gayle Wolski. “We are a fundraising arm affiliated with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Our June 1 event – Party Like a Fox – features delicious food donated by some of our city’s finest restaurants, delectable wine courtesy of Bin 36 & Kendall Jackson, an open bar and live music by X Factor. It promises to be a fun night on the town for all who attend.”

For more information, visit: www.partylikeafox.org;  and their Facebook page

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Let Team Fox cheer you on to the finish line in an upcoming fall marathon! Now is the time to take on the challenge of running 26.2 miles for Parkinson’s research. Seasoned runner and Team Fox Mentor, Matt Mitchell, ran his first NYC Marathon for Team Fox in 2010 for his father who had Parkinson’s. He ran again in 2011 and plans to join us for the three-peat this November. Matt also recently qualified for Boston with a phenomenal time of 3:03 in the 2012 Paris Marathon. Regarding training, Matt feels strongly that it’s not just a physical transformation you will see.

Training for a marathon is journey. It will challenge you like nothing else can. It will change you. It will demand things from you that you didn’t even know you had. With the proper preparation and commitment, the experience will have you believing in yourself like never before. It will embolden and empower you to take on the world, and inspire you to new heights.

You can take on this challenge in any of our upcoming events!

• The Bank of America Chicago Marathon - Sunday, October 7th. This flat, fast marathon is a great race for both experienced runners and first-timers alike. Team Fox can provide you with entry, and has partnered with CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) to provide discounted training programs throughout Chicago.
• The Toronto Waterfront Marathon/Half Marathon & 5K on October 14th, offers runners three distances to choose from. The beautiful marathon and half marathon course takes you along Lake Ontario, and the 5K run/walk is great for families! Team Fox has entries for all three distances.
• The ING NYC Marathon on November 4th is the cornerstone of the Team Fox athletic program, with roughly 200 runners each year – together looking to fundraise $1 million for Parkinson’s research. While the team is currently full, we are still accepting runners for our waitlist.

What will be your next marathon?

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Love is Two People Talking

Meet Team Fox member Charles Banov from Charleston, South Carolina. A retired physician, Dr. Banov was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2002. Since then, he and his wife, Nancy, have turned their attention to raising funds and awareness for PD research.

Dr. Banov recently released his second novel, “Love is Two People Talking.” Taking inspiration from his own life, the book is a story about love and communication—and one that aims to encourage Parkinson’s patients to focus on the positive points in life. The book centers on Sam Geller, a man in his 80s who moves in with his son after his Parkinson’s symptoms prevent him from living independently. He ends up spending time with his granddaughter, Peggy, who has Rett Syndrome—a developmental disability that is also close to home for the Banovs. Nancy and Charles’ daughter, nearly 50-years-old now, has had the disease for the majority of her life.

Charles and Nancy will donate 100% of the profits from the sale of his book to Team Fox. Charles shared with us his experience with Parkinson’s disease and what inspired him to write “Love is Two People Talking.” Visit Charles’ website to learn more or to order a copy of the book.

Team Fox: How has your Parkinson’s diagnosis changed your life?
Charles Banov: Even though I had many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s for at least 12 years, they were at first only a minor inconvenience and did not interfere with my daily activities or the quality of my life. As a physician, I realized that this was a slowly developing hurricane which would eventually strike. For about 2 years, I did well with medication. Then I found that I needed more treatment to keep me functioning.  My response to medicine was good but the side effects were troublesome. I was particularly concerned that I would become too sedated while driving.

At this point, the winds of this impending storm were still not too damaging and were restricted to a few incapacities such as difficulty with cursive writing and the loss of ability to swim. Suddenly I moved from being the healer to being the dependent patient.  I began to lose my balance and fall easily. I started to experience uncontrollable drooling which was very embarrassing when I was out in public. It took me much longer than before to get ready to go anywhere and I was usually late for appointments.  As a consequence of not being able to write cursive, I needed someone to write for me. At book signings for my memoir, I couldn’t sign my name. Because my symptoms became so severe, I had to retire years earlier than I planned.

TF: What inspired you to write this book?
CB: There are many self-help books and educational materials available for Parkinson’s patients and families.  I wanted to reach out in a different way to the many people whom the disease has affected.  I wanted to write a book where many of the concerns and fears of persons with Parkinson’s could be addressed by characters in a novel with similar problems. I wanted to convey that PD is not the end of the world, and that one can still lead a happy and fulfilling life. PD can take away some physical abilities, but not all, and that the condition actually makes one appreciate the abilities that remain even more.  In my own small way, I wanted to contribute to increasing awareness and understanding of Parkinson’s and to raise funds for research through sale of the book.

I wanted to get my optimistic message to readers that PD can inspire them to appreciate what they have and that help is available through family, friends, and support groups.

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Ross and Ryan Mackinnon sporting their Biking for Baha shirts

Last month, we introduced you to the Mackinnon brothers. Scott, Sean, Ross and Ryan are one day away from embarking on their 8,000-km bike ride across Canada. They will cover anywhere from 60km – 200km a day, resting at camp sites along the way and learning a lot about themselves and each other in the process. On top of all this, they are raising funds and awareness for Team Fox in honor of their grandfather, Baha, who lived with Parkinson’s disease for 16 years.

We caught up with them this week to get their thoughts on their upcoming “Biking for Baha” journey. For the most part, they are excited and nervous—and just want to get started! They have already raised $16,500 towards their goal of $40,075—a goal that translates to $1 for every kilometer each of them will ride plus $1 for every kilometer Baha would have ridden.

Be sure to follow their journey and cheer them on as they pedal their way from Vancouver to Nova Scotia.

TRACK THEIR PROGRESS…

• Bookmark their blog
• “Like” them on Facebook
• Follow them on Twitter

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After her initial success she set her goal even higher. Beth contacted Zumba® Fitness’ Home Office and asked them to partner with Team Fox. On June 29^th, 2012, Zumba® Fitness and Team Fox will partner for a very special Zumbathon charity event at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. This Movin’ to End Parkinson’s Zumbathon event  will feature top Zumba celebrities, Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant. There will be over one thousand people attending the event to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s research. Learn more about this event or purchase tickets now at www.zumba.com/teamfox.

Also, Team Fox members Terry and Oliver Holler have agreed to travel to NYC in a DeLorean Time Machine that they built! The car will be outside the Movin’ to End Parkinsons’ Zumbathon event. This time machine is a must see and has raised over $70,000 for The Michael J. Fox Foundation so far.

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On May 30^th, Gorny will start the 233 mile journey across the state of Kansas on Route 99 from the southern border with Oklahoma to the northern border with Nebraska.  His plan is to complete the 233 miles in just 5 days, looking to average 50 a day for the first 4 days so that day 5 is “just” the remaining 33.

Gorny’s wife and daughter will act as his crew, traveling along the course with him by car.  Steve says his daughter has it down to a science – knowing exactly when he’s in need of food or water.  His brother also plans to join over the weekend for a chunk of the route, along with friends who will join in for a few miles here and there.  Besides that, Steve will be on the road solo – but is always up for company if you are in the area!

To date, Gorny has raised over $23,000 on his way to his $30,000 goal.  You can support Steve and track his progress at his blog, http://runkansas.blogspot.com/

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Team Sister's Fighting Parkinson's!

Tips For Parkinson’s is gearing up for it’s 7th year and you’re invited! On May 23rd, 2012 over 800 people will walk through the doors of the IAC HQ Building and raise money for Team Fox. Tips For Parkinson’s was started by Team Fox Member and Mentor Susan Bilotta in an effort to raise money and awareness for Team Fox. The event is dedicated to Susan’s mother who’s been living with Parkinson’s for over 20 years. TFP started in 2006 at local bar in New York City called Vertigo with 100 friends and family. Jump to 2012 and TFP has has become a competitive bartending event with great food and exciting auction items. Last year Tips for Parkinson’s raised over $190,000 for Team Fox!

In 6 years, TFP has raised nearly $500,000 to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation. This year’s event is sure to be the best yet. Advance tickets are $45 and includes one free beverage, food and a holographic athletic wristband. Auction items include a trip to Tuscany, tickets to The View, sports memorabilia and more! For more information on Tips For Parkinson’s or to volunteer, check out www.tipsforparkinsons.org

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Guests check out the auction table at the Poehlmann family's Team Fox event.

In April 2012, Team Fox member Josie Poehlmann celebrated the tenth anniversary of her event, the Annual Tom Poehlmann Benefit for Parkinson’s. Together with her sons Tom Jr. and Brian, Josie has been raising funds to honor her late husband, who had Parkinson’s disease. In the last ten years, they have raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for Team Fox by inviting their friends and family members to McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon in Philadelphia for an afternoon complete with live music, raffles, a silent auction and free draft beer.

This year’s event brought many obstacles, including new state gambling laws that prevented their annual (and successful) 50/50 and Chinese raffles, a torrential downpour on the day of that they were sure would affect attendance, and more. Despite all of this, about 300 people attended and they achieved their goal of raising $20,000.

We caught up with Josie to get her thoughts on this year’s event, and how things have evolved over the years. Anyone who lives in a state with strict gambling laws, take note. The Poehlmann family got creative this year when they were prohibited from having their raffles.

Team Fox: This was your 10^th annual Tom Poehlmann Benefit. How has the event grown/changed over the years? What does the event mean to you?
Josie Poehlmann: This year was our 10^th annual event in memory of my late husband, Tom. The first year was a very small venue. My son was a bartender where we held the event. It was only 9 months after Tom’s death. I think at first, it was a way to keep our minds busy and not dwell on the loss. We always held the event the last week of March. This was when Tom went in for his DBS, so it had meaning for us. As the years went on, we grew to a bigger and bigger venue. By the third year, we were holding it at the sports bar at Citizen’s Bank Park where the Philadelphia Phillies play baseball. It is centrally located, has a great layout, and plenty of parking. Our friends are so supportive that we realized we could generate a lot of funds with a silent auction. In time, we had so many items, we added a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffles.

This event means more to us each year. We know firsthand the difficulties the patients and their families face with PD. Tom was so strong and otherwise healthy. This disease brought him to his knees in six short years. Somehow we have to raise awareness so others will be able to have the support and compassion that we could not find.

TF: Do you have an event committee in place? Do you implement any fundraising strategies to keep your costs down?
JP: We talk about forming a committee each year, and then, somehow, life sets in and we are planning another one ourselves. My son Brian and his wife, Zeffi, are the wind behind this event. Brian is in the bar business and between him and my other son, Tom, there are many friends that are restaurateurs. McFadden’s gives us a great price on the alcohol and food since Brian works there. Everything else we do is donated from printing and t-shirts to $800 worth of raffle prizes. I own a hair salon and my clients have supported this raffle for all of these years. I am also blessed to have a lot of wonderful relatives, friends and employees, who brainstorm each year for new ideas and put a lot of sweat into the event.

TF: What was the most difficult part of putting together your event his year? What was the easiest part?
JP: This year we had a roadblock. The state of Pennsylvania decided to enforce gambling laws prohibiting us from conducting games of chance. We had to get creative. To replace the 50/50 raffle we bought some unusual shaped containers. We filled one with animal crackers, one with skittles and one with rubber bands. Three different people circulated the room with clipboards and their container. The point of the game was to guess how many items were in each container, and we charged a guessing fee. We had three different prizes for each, and everyone seemed to have fun with the new game.

TF: If you could do one thing differently, what would it be and why?
JP: We found out that there are people who do silent auctions as a profession. We took a chance this year and hired one. It was the easiest part of the event. We had nothing to do. He took his percentage and we made out remarkably well. I would recommend this if you have a way to check out the credibility of the vendor. He handled the setup, breakdown and check out, and we made more than he did. It was a huge success.

TF: Anything else you’d like to share?
JP: This event has become so much more than healing our sadness on the anniversary of Tom’s death. It has taken on a life of its own. I am a true spokesperson for Parkinson’s disease.  Being a caregiver for so many years, and witnessing the ups and downs of the meds and the personality changes of the afflicted, I try to help in any way I can. Even if it is just listening. We know how much MJFF has accomplished in these 10 years. There is still so much more to do, but it isn’t even about the money. Each year we meet young onset patients at our event. This fundraiser brings awareness about Parkinson’s disease. We are there to give information, to steer those afflicted in the right direction, and give our support, comfort and friendship.

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