Raise Awareness

Meet Four People Walking, Running and Riding Toward a Cure

Group at Moving Day walk

In 2024, Moving Day, A Walk for Parkinson’s, Parkinson’s Revolution and Parkinson’s Champions raised $8.3 million to advance Parkinson’s disease (PD) research, improve access to care and connect people with PD and their loved ones to life-changing resources and support. 

These fundraisers and volunteers inspire us as they passionately spread Parkinson’s awareness and make Parkinson’s Foundation events a success. Meet Cindy, Hailey, Peggy and more community members who help us move toward a cure:

Cindy George

Cindy Builds Community Through Caregiving

Cindy George set out to learn as much as she could about Parkinson’s disease after her husband, Dale, was diagnosed 13 years ago. Together, they have grown their local PD community by starting a support group, participating in Moving Day Salt Lake City and more.

“People with Parkinson’s are superheroes who deserve to be recognized, and that’s what happens at Moving Day. It highlights the importance of exercise for people with Parkinson’s and provides so much education and information.”

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Hailey Harn's group at Revolution ride

Hailey Honors Dad, Rallies Friends through Parkinson’s Revolution

After her dad was diagnosed with PD, Hailey Harn wanted to wanted to find a positive and productive way to channel her energy toward a mission that would make an impact. She was touched when friends and other members of her community wanted to make an impact alongside her.

“Friends enthusiastically joined my team to raise money through Parkinson’s Revolution — we all realized PD touches far more people than we thought. With each donation came a story of a relative, colleague or friend who also had a connection to PD, and gratitude for working toward PD education, care and a cure!”

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Peggy Faber running a race

Peggy Completes 50 Marathons in 50 States to Raise Parkinson’s Awareness

Peggy was halfway to her goal of completing 50 marathons in 50 states when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She didn’t let this deter her, and finished her final marathon as a part of Parkinson’s Champions on September 24, 2024.

“I found out during a race, around mile 20 when my gait and balance started to suffer, that I was going to have to work harder to make this goal happen with Parkinson’s. Other concerned racers asked if I needed help or medical attention. I thanked them for their concern and said, ‘This is what Parkinson’s looks like; help us find a cure.’”

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Piedmont Community Walk

Piedmont Fayetteville Unites Parkinson’s Community with First Community Walk

When Evan M. Johnson, MD, MSc, joined Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville, GA, as a movement disorders specialist, he told his team his goal was to reach as many people as possible to support those with Parkinson’s and educate others. Organizing a Moving Day Community Walk for Fayetteville allowed them to unite their community and raise almost four times their fundraising goal.

“Community events like this are special moments to recognize and celebrate all individuals who are connected to Parkinson’s. Doing so helps reinforce to patients that they are not alone but are a part of a large community of peers and support.”

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Advancing Research

How Our Genetics Study Evolved in One Year: More Access & New Parkinson’s Insights

Group of four PF staff posing for a picture

In 2024, the Parkinson’s Foundation expanded its global genetics study, PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, both geographically and biologically. The study team’s recruitment efforts led to an increase in the diversity of participants. Changes to sample collection and genetic sequencing allowed for the inclusion of more than 30 new genetic markers of interest. The results from three of these scope-expanding initiatives were presented as posters at international Parkinson’s and medical conferences. Below we highlight each poster.  

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Providing Genetics Testing and Counseling on a Global Scale 

Since 2019, PD GENEration has aimed to make genetic testing accessible to every person living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) — providing genetic results and counseling to people with PD at no cost.  

With this data, researchers are already uncovering new insights into the disease, such as how approximately 13% of people with PD have a genetic variant — greater than the previous scientific estimates of 5-10%. This means more people with PD may be eligible for clinical trials once they know their genetic link to PD. We are contributing significantly to a large and diverse global genetics registry for Parkinson’s disease, a critical need for scientists to discover new information about the role of genetics in disease and ultimately novel or more tailored treatments. 

1. Bringing PD Genetic Testing to Latin America with LARGE-PD 

For large-scale studies that provide genetic sequencing and counseling like PD GENEration, participant diversity is essential. Having genetic data from people across the world creates a strong foundation for impactful research breakthroughs. With that in mind, the Parkinson’s Foundation partnered with the Latin America Research consortium on the Genetics of Parkinson’s Disease (LARGE-PD) to expand the PD GENEration study to new countries. In just a few months, we have provided valuable genetic testing and counseling to new, underserved populations, broadening our understanding of the disease.  Six LARGE-PD sites offer the PD GENEration study today. The six selected sites are in Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, supporting a wide range of Latin American communities. Every PD GENEratrion site offers high-quality testing and genetic counseling. 

These sites enrolled 446 new participants and trained 16 clinicians to return genetic testing results — maintaining PD GENEration's momentum into the new year. This LARGE-PD collaboration and these six new Latin American sites support PD GENEration’s goals of accelerating clinical trials in PD, improving PD care and research and empowering people with PD and their care teams. 

2. Building Trusted Connections with the Hawaii PD Community 

PD GENEration recruitment in Hawaiʻi began in 2022, but participation was limited to at-home testing with only a few people signing up each month. With help from the Hawaiʻi Parkinson Association (HPA), a local partner since 2018, the Parkinson’s Foundation worked with The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu as Hawaii’s first PD GENEration site in 2023, which is also a Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center. This location immediately accelerated participation with an increased average of nearly 20 new people joining the study every month.  

Rock Steady Boxing PF event

As sign-ups increased, we learned new insights into the Hawaii PD community. In particular their historical mistrust of the medical field and hesitance toward sharing personal health information due to western colonization. Leading with empathy and understanding of this historical trauma, the PD GENEration outreach team worked closely with local organizers to drive an outreach campaign in hopes of breaking down barriers to inspire joining PD GENEration.  

In October 2024, PD GENEration team members met with Rock Steady Boxing members at the HPA Resource Center, two pillars of the Honolulu PD community. These introductions provided information about the PD GENEration study, including its history, rationale and impact, as well invitations to the upcoming Parkinson’s Foundation Research and Care Event. At this event, attendees learned about what's new in research, how research shapes treatments, and care tips for managing PD symptoms. 

These outreach efforts helped: 

  • 30 new people with PD join PD GENEration, over half of whom were from diverse (non-white) populations and 90% had never participated in PD research before.  

  • This amounted to a nearly 13% jump in total Hawaii resident enrollment.  

As this momentum continues, PD GENEration and the entire PD research field will gain valuable genetic information from this unique community while the Hawaii participants gain key insights into their diagnoses and personal health. 

3. Diving Deeper into Genetic Testing with the Tasso+ Device 

Accessibility is key for the PD GENEration study. The ability for people with PD to participate either in person at a medical or through an at-home mail-in test has ensured that anyone interested can participate. This accessibility was top-of-mind when the study entered its next phase in March 2024, expanding its genetic testing panel from the nine major PD-related genetic mutations to 40 targets, adding 21 genes with a potential PD connection.  

Participants can now request testing for 10 CDC Tier 1 genes related to other diseases like breast cancer, ovarian cancer, Lynch syndrome, and familial hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol).

To investigate this wider range of genes in a single test, the format would have to change. While the amount of quality DNA obtained from a cheek swab is sufficient when testing for just a few PD gene mutations, a blood sample is needed for collecting enough testable DNA for the new gene panel. This change is simple for study sites, but the PD GENEration team worked to find a new way to offer at-home testing for the new panel.  

In February 2024, PD GENEration partnered with the company Tasso to produce the study's new blood sample collection kit, called Tasso+. Learn more in this video. In just a few months, the new Tasso+ kit was fully integrated into at-home testing. As of November 2024, more than 1,000 new PD GENEration participants have enrolled using the Tasso+ device with a 97.1% kit success rate. 

With the Tasso+ kit, PD GENEration can now collect and provide even more valuable genetic information to PD researchers, potentially unlocking more clues behind disease progression that can lead to improvements in treatment and care for people with Parkinson’s everywhere. 

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Learn more about PD GENEration and enroll today.

Podcasts

Episode 176: Allied Health Spotlight: The Challenges of Speech and Swallowing Issues

Allied health professionals are a group of healthcare providers whose role and expertise complement the work of physicians. These include specialists such as physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, nutritionists, and many more. They are just as important as your Movement Disorders Specialists and Neurologists, and play a vital role in creating a comprehensive, well-rounded Parkinson’s care team that caters to your individual needs and addresses your overall well-being.

In this second episode of our Allied Health Spotlight series, we highlight the benefits of working with a speech-language pathologist early on in your Parkinson’s journey. Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects movement throughout the body, including the face, mouth, throat, and breathing muscles. As the disease progresses, people with PD may develop problems with speaking and swallowing. This can not only impact eating habits, but can also lead to soft voice and drooling, making conversations during social gatherings uncomfortable. 

In this episode, Melissa Grassia Chisholm, MS, CCC-SLP, a licensed speech pathologist and a voice-swallow airway expert, explains how speech and swallowing problems can develop in people with PD.  She also discusses different diagnostic procedures, therapies, and programs that can help improve speech and swallowing.

Released: February 11, 2025

We want to thank this episode's podcast sponsors, UCB and Novartis, for supporting our mission. 

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Fundraising Events

2026 BMW Berlin Marathon

6:00 am to 6:00 pm CET
Parkinson's Champions runners

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2026 Berlin Marathon. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to fundraising support and team benefits. You can learn more about our program at Run4PD.org. 

Our official Parkinson's Champions Berlin team is full for 2026 and we are not currently accepting applications for 2027 yet.

More world records have been broken on Berlin's fast pavement than at any other marathon race in the world. 13 so far. More could follow. But that is not the only reason that makes the season highlight in the German capital one of the most popular running spectacles of the year. Over 50,000 finishers experience their very special moment when crossing the Brandenburg Gate just before the finish line, millions of spectators and 80 live bands celebrate the sport along the course. The international running community is a guest in the German capital at this special highlight.

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the Berlin Marathon Homepage.

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2026 TCS Sydney Marathon

6:00 am to 6:00 pm AEST
Parkinson's Champions runners

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2026 Sydney Marathon. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks. Learn more about our programs at Run4PD.org and apply to join the team.

We have limited bibs available for Sydney and will be prioritizing fundraisers who apply with goals above the fundraising minimum.

Fundraising Commitment:

  • Marathon - $4,000

The 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS is the 7th, and one of the newest members of the Abbott World Marathon Majors! We are thrilled to be welcoming runners from around the globe to Sydney. The marathon is not only be the largest ever held in Australia, but also the centerpiece of an entire running festival. This festival features over 40,000 participants from more than 100 countries, making it the largest event of its kind in Australia. 

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the Sydney Marathon Homepage.

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Tokyo Marathon 2026

6:00 am to 6:00 pm JST
Parkinson's Champions runners

The Parkinson's Foundation is an Official International Charity of Tokyo Marathon 2026. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks. You can learn more about our program at Run4PD.org. 

Our Tokyo Marathon 2026 team is full and we are no longer accepting applications. We hope to have bibs available for 2027. You can register your interest and apply here.

Part of the World Marathon Majors, this flat and fast course has played host to several records and is attended by as many as 2 million spectators annually – that’s c.15% of Tokyo’s population. The course is said to symbolize the past, present and the future of Tokyo, traversing the city’s major districts including Kanda, where you can take in traditional architecture, the halfway point at Ryogoku and the finish at Tokyo Station. One of the world’s most popular races and Asia’s biggest marathon, take your place in history.

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the Tokyo Marathon Homepage.

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2025 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend

5:00 am to 8:00 pm EST
Participant running in Disney race

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2025 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks. Register to run now at PDChampionsWineAndDine.org

Fundraising Commitments:

  • Challenge (Half & 10k) - $1,500
  • Half Marathon - $1,000
  • 5k or 10k - $750

*Do you have your own bib already? Do you have a runner under age 18 to register? Please email us at Run4PD@Parkinson.org for special registration instructions.

Celebrate Disney Magical Mealtimes during the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World® Resort. Themed to different eats of the day, you can enjoy miles of mouthwatering merriment during a 5k, 10k or half marathon, earning a one-of-a-kind medal for each race you finish. You can even register for a challenge that combines the 10K and half marathon and nets you a bonus medal as well! It’s delectable runDisney® fun for everyone.

Looking for travel support? Sign up for a free consultation with our wonderful friends at Magical Park Vacations at THIS LINK (whether you end up running with us or not). They have deep knowledge of the parks and traveling with a family member who has Parkinson’s disease.

NOTE: Registration for this race includes access to the Walt Disney World Resort® amusement parks for the race event only. To “ride-the-rides” you would need to purchase a separate ticket to the parks. There may be the opportunity for friends and family to come cheer you on without needing to purchase entry to the park, but this will be announced later by the runDisney organization at their discretion.

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the runDisney Homepage.

 

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2026 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend

6:00 am to 8:00 pm EST
Participant running in Disney race

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2026 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks. Register to run now at PDChampionsDisneyPrincess.org.

Fundraising Commitments:

  • Fairytale Challenge (Half & 10k) - $1,500
  • Half Marathon - $1,000
  • 5k or 10k - $750

*Do you have your own bib? Do you have a runner under age 18 to register? Please email us at Run4PD@Parkinson.org for special registration instructions.

Join us for this fairy-tale weekend at Walt Disney World® Resort where you can rise up during the Disney Princess 5K. Fly high at the Disney Princess 10K. Slay the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Or run the fairest of them all by taking on the Disney Fairytale Challenge. Adding even more enchantment are the treasured finisher’s medals you’ll earn for each race—you can even earn three if you complete the challenge (comprised of the 10K and Half Marathon)! 

Looking for travel support? Sign up for a free consultation with our wonderful friends at Magical Park Vacations at THIS LINK (whether you end up running with us or not). They have deep knowledge of the parks and traveling with a family member who has Parkinson’s disease.

NOTE: Registration for this race includes access to the Walt Disney World® Resort amusement parks for the race event only. To “ride-the-rides” you would need to purchase a separate ticket to the parks. There may be the opportunity for friends and family to come cheer you on without needing to purchase entry to the park, but this will be announced later by the runDisney organization at their discretion.

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the runDisney Homepage.

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2026 Disney World Marathon Weekend

6:00 am to 8:00 pm EST
Participant running in Disney race

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2026 Disney World Marathon Weekend. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks. Register to run now at PDChampionsDisneyworld.org. 

Fundraising Commitments:

  • Dopey Challenge (5k, 10k, Half, & Marathon) - $3,000
  • Goofy's Race and a Half (Half & Marathon) - $2,250
  • Marathon - $1,500
  • Half - $1,000
  • 5k/10 - $750

*Do you have your own bib? Do you have a runner under age 18 to register? Please email us at Run4PD@Parkinson.org for special registration instructions.

Close your eyes and dream it – then make those dreams come true with runDisney and the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend. Join Mickey Mouse and friends as you go the distance on your journey across every magical mile. Every course is full of “character” and encouragement as you earn every mile in a weekend filled with four different races, two challenges, and inspiration at every turn (of the course, that is). Dreams do come true with runDisney.

Looking for travel support? Sign up for a free consultation with our wonderful friends at Magical Park Vacations at THIS LINK (whether you end up running with us or not). They have deep knowledge of the parks and traveling with a family member who has Parkinson’s disease.

NOTE: Registration for this race includes access to the Walt Disney World Resort® amusement parks for the race event only. To “ride-the-rides” you would need to purchase a separate ticket to the parks. There may be the opportunity for friends and family to come cheer you on without needing to purchase entry to the park, but this will be announced later by the runDisney organization at their discretion.

If you have questions, send us an email at Run4PD@Parkinson.org. For more information about the race itself, visit the runDisney Homepage.

 

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2026 Utica Boilermaker Race Weekend

6:00 am to 6:00 pm EST
Parkinson's Champions runners

The Parkinson's Foundation is an official charity partner for the 2026 Utica Boilermaker Race Weekend. By signing up to run as a Parkinson's Champion you commit to raising funds and awareness for the Parkinson's Foundation, and in return you get access to a free entry (bib) to the race in addition to tons of other fun benefits and perks.

Fundraising Commitments:
15k - $500

This world-renowned race is often referred to as the country’s best 15K. The Boilermaker 15K is recognized for its entertaining yet challenging course and racing’s best post-race party, hosted by the F.X. Matt Brewing Company, featuring Saranac beer and a live concert! With plenty of water support, strong attention to medical detail, and crowd support like no other race, the Boilermaker 15K is an event worth training and traveling for and should be on every runner’s “must-do” list.

Are you looking for a fun way to volunteer for the Parkinson's Foundation & raise your voice while raising awareness? Come out and cheer on our incredible athletes! Learn more and apply at Parkinson.org/ChampionsCheer.

If you have questions, send us an email. For more information about the race itself, visit the Boilermaker Homepage.
 

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