24TH ANNUAL STEP UP FOR PARKINSON’S WALK AT BAKER PARK IN NAPLES

Hundreds step up to help our community members live well with PD

More than 400 members of our Southwest Florida community turned out at Baker Park in Naples, Florida on Saturday, February 11, 2023, for the 24th annual Step Up for Parkinson’s Walk to support the services provided to the Southwest Florida community by the Parkinson’s Association of Southwest Florida. The annual walk raised awareness and more than $40,000 that directly benefits more than 7,000 members of our local community who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in Collier County, and southern Lee County. PD affects over one million Americans and is the second-most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are grateful to our sponsors, volunteers, and participants who joined us on a beautiful sunny morning to make this walk such a great success,” said Mary C. Schoeffel, CFRE, Executive Director of the PASWFL. “The funds raised at events like our walk support our ability to be the front-line resource for our community members diagnosed with PD, neurodegenerative diseases, and their care partners. We provide movement, speech, group support, and music sessions because research shows that a proactive approach to managing PD during the early stages significantly prolongs a person with PD’s ability to stay active and delay the onset of some of the degenerative effects of PD.”

The event was sponsored by BrightStar Care, WestShore OMS Specialists, Abbott, The Daravingas Family, Right at Home, Terracina Senior Living, Arden Courts of Lely Palms, Avow, Florida HIIT Factory, McKenney Home Care, and Medtronic.

For more than twenty-five years, PASWFL has provided evidence-based, effective programs and services that improve the quality of life, and educate, enrich, and empower our community members affected by PD and related neurological diseases. Each week the PAWSFL offers more than 20 activities for members with PD and their care partners as well as the greater SWFL community. There are no fees associated with becoming a member; the membership application is available online at www.parkinsonassociationswfl.org.

For more information, visit ParkinsonAssociationSWFL.org or call 239-417-3465. Parkinson’s Association of Southwest Florida, 2575 Northbrooke Plaza Drive, Suite 301, Naples, FL 34119.

If you would like more information or high-resolution images, please contact Patrice Shields at shieldscreative@gmail.com.