WPA

Former LPGA Golfer Cherie Zaun to Participate in Parkinson’s Fundraiser

May 1, 2018 Awareness, Community Outreach, Donate

In the 1970s, Golfer Cherie Zaun was on her way toward a promising career, and put her career on hold to raise two children. In the 1990s, with her children grown, Cherie decided to follow her dream: to compete at the highest level in golf. With a lot of hard work and dedication Cherie earned her way to the LPGA tour. She competed in over 30 tournaments and practiced week after week to improve her play. Struggling with her game, she began to realize that something was not quite right with her body. She tried to remain strong and work through it, only to have her symptoms get worse.

In 2003, determined to figure out what was going on with her body, Cherie left the tour, and was diagnosed with Parkinson disease. Symptoms of Parkinson disease can include tremor, slowness of movement, rigidity, problems with balance, and more. While Parkinson’s can be managed with exercise and medication, it is chronic and progressive and has no cure.

Cherie chose to get involved with many organizations and events that promote living well with Parkinson disease. The LPGA tour lost a very talented player, but the Parkinson world gained a great spokesperson. Cherie wants to be a part of the journey to find a cure for Parkinson’s in her lifetime. She now travels around the country speaking and appearing at charity golf outings — including the Movers & Shakers Classic on Saturday, June 2 at Evergreen Golf Course in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

Coordinated by Joe & Patti Schlicher, the Movers & Shakers Golf Classic includes a golf outing, live and silent auctions, raffle, and a dinner for golfers, family members, and the community. Cherie will be a part of the day, and will be sharing her story at dinner. All proceeds from the event benefit Wisconsin Parkinson Association, which provides hope, community, support and resources for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.

“We are so honored the Movers & Shakers Classic has again chosen to support WPA,” said Gary Garland, executive director of Wisconsin Parkinson Association. “This annual event has raised over $35,000 that assists support and exercise groups and educational programs around the state. Cherie’s presence will be a great addition this year!”

Cost to participate in the golf outing (including dinner) is $96/golfer. The dinner only option is available for $24 (for a hamburger or brat) or $32 (for steak or chicken). To participate or to donate money or an item for the auction, contact Joe Schlicher at 262-949-8011.

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Fly Fishing Clinic

April 1, 2018 Community Outreach, Exercise, Life

Fly fishing is a great activity that can help improve balance, coordination and increase mobility… all important for someone with Parkinson disease!

Join us for a free fly fishing clinic on May 23 in Palmyra, WI to learn about fly fishing, equipment, casting and aquatic entomology. Then, try your hand at fly fishing for trout. Jonathan Hill, our lead instructor, was a co-facilitator of the PD Support Group in Stoughton, WI. He was diagnosed with PD in 2014, and is a life member of Trout Unlimited.

No fishing license is required. Trout Unlimited will provide all equipment. Our instructors will help you get a fly rod rigged and ready to go. Any fish caught must be released – Instructors will assist with this. If you wish to take some fish home, you can buy cleaned and processed fish at the Rushing Waters Retail Store.

We will hold the clinic RAIN OR SHINE. Please be prepared with hat or sunglasses, bug spray, sunblock, and a chair if you would like to sit.

Limited to 20 participants. Registration Required. Register HERE or call 414-312-6990.

Special Thanks to Trout Unlimited.

Fly Fishing Clinic
May 23, 2018 | 9:00am-1:00pm
Rushing Waters Fisheries Trout Farm | Palmyra, WI
FREE | Picnic Lunch Provided.

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WPA’s revamped Mission Statement

February 1, 2018 Awareness, Change, Life

In order to realign WPA’s Mission Statement with our goals and program offerings, our Board of Directors recently revamped the statement:

Providing hope, community, support, and resources for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.

This new mission statement truly shows what WPA is able to provide for YOU. We are a broad and diverse organization, providing you with what you need as you navigate life with Parkinson’s – whether it’s your own Parkinson’s, or that of a loved one.

This new mission statement is flexible and broad, and doesn’t focus on any particular program or service we offer. We are constantly seeking opportunities to expand and broaden how we connect with people with Parkinson’s, caregivers, medical professionals, and more.

Finally, this new mission statement is brief and easy to remember. When someone new connects with WPA, we want to be able to easily share with them our place in this community!

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WPA’s Holiday Reception

November 1, 2017 Caregivers, Community Outreach, Life

Click here to register!

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Taylor Finseth, MD joins WPA’s Medical Advisory Committee

November 1, 2017 Community Outreach, Life

We are pleased to welcome Taylor Finseth, MD, Aurora Health Care to our Medical Advisory Committee.

Dr. Finseth provides management of movement disorders including Parkinson disease, tremor, dystonia, restless legs and deep brain stimulation programming and performs botox injections for dystonia, chronic migraine and other conditions, as well as treating memory loss. He earned his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, and completed both his residency in Neurology and fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of Colorado, Aurora CO. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

The Medical Advisory Committee provides medical oversight for WPA. The members advise our board and staff on the content of medically-related programs, and on topics related to clinical care of people with Parkinson disease. The Committee consists of doctors from various healthcare locations around the state of Wisconsin.

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WPA Open – Thank you!

October 1, 2017 Awareness, Donate

WPA hosted our 6th Annual WPA Open Against Parkinson Disease on September 12, 2017 at The Legend of Merrill Hills in Waukesha, WI. This golf outing and dinner are the only fundraiser WPA coordinates, and the money raised supports outreach, education and services to people with Parkinson disease, their caregivers, family members, and health professionals.

Thank you to Financial Strategies, Inc., and HeatTek, Inc., our presenting sponsors, as well as all of the sponsors who made this event a success. To see photos from the day, click here.

One of the highlights of the outing this year was having Patrick Pelkey with us. Patrick is a Parkinson’s Support Group leader, and he is a woodcarver. He spent the day carving these beautiful “comfort birds” that we auctioned off. Patrick has Parkinson’s, and he has found that when he starts carving, his tremors subside.

The smooth texture and beautiful wood have a calming effect, and Patrick is proud to share his talents with children and adults who need comforting.

Thanks to all who supported the WPA Open!

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Support Group Facilitator Training

July 1, 2017 Awareness, Caregivers, Support Groups

Our Symposium draws attendees from far and wide to learn more about Parkinson’s treatments and resources, and to connect with others who have PD. Many attendees are involved in one or more support groups, so for the last several years, WPA has led a training for support group facilitators on the Thursday before the Symposium.

One of the most important goals of this year’s facilitator training was to hear directly from the facilitators on how things were going in their groups and to identify ways in which WPA can best support their efforts. Stemming from that discussion, here are some important ways in which WPA expects to increase our partnerships with these facilitators and the groups they lead:

  • Creation of a speaker’s bureau in order to simplify the often challenging process of getting PD experts to attend group meetings.
  • Step up our efforts to assist groups to publicize their meetings and reach potential new members.
  • Check in with group facilitators more regularly to hear how things are going, see if they currently need any assistance from WPA, and share their efforts with WPA’s “audience”.
  • Explore ways where we can more often bring together facilitators to exchange ideas and challenges and learn from the best teachers – each other!
  • Develop publications and programming to better serve caregivers, those newly diagnosed with PD and the young onset community.
  • Formalize a grant program to provide small financial support that would have a big impact on the effectiveness of groups and the quality of life of their members.

We are so grateful for the commitment of these support group facilitators to their groups and to WPA!

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31st Annual Parkinson Disease Symposium | June 23, 2017

June 1, 2017 Awareness, Caregivers, Community Outreach, Education, Life, Research

WPA will host its 31st Annual Parkinson Disease Symposium on Friday, June 23, 2017 at Country Springs Hotel & Conference Center in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Beginning at 8:00am, attendees can check in and visit with vendors at the Resource Fair where health and community agencies will display valuable information throughout the day. Beginning at 9:00am, the first main session will be “Understanding Parkinson Disease from a Scientific Perspective”, presented by Giuseppe P. Cortese, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The morning breakout sessions will follow Dr. Cortese’s interactive presentation, and participants will choose from three options: “Caregivers: Being prepared for an emergency”, “Grieving ‘life as we have known it’”, and a Panel on PD exercise programs.

During lunch, the resource fair will again be open for participants. After lunch, the afternoon breakout sessions will include “Are you caring too much and laughing too little?”, “Causes and prevention of falls” and “Exercise: A targeted attack on Parkinson’s.” The closing session for all attendees will be “Nutrition for Parkinson Disease” presented by Michelle McDonagh, RD, CD, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin. The Symposium will conclude by 3:30pm.

The registration fee is $30 per person and includes educational materials, continental breakfast, and lunch. To register, CLICK HERE or call our office at 414-312-6990. Registration is required and must be received by Wednesday, June 14.

The event is sponsored by Abbvie, Medtronic and US WorldMeds.

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Recent Photos

May 1, 2017 Exercise, Life

Check out some photos from WPA staff’s recent visits to support groups and exercise classes in Wauwatosa and Lake Geneva. To see more photos, visit our Facebook page.

 

 

 

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Parkinson’s Tulip

April 1, 2017 Education

You may have noticed that WPA uses an image of a tulip throughout our website and publications. Have you ever wondered why?

The tulip is the official symbol within the Parkinson’s community. In 1980, J.W.S. Van der Wereld, a Dutch horticulturalist who had Parkinson disease, developed a red and white tulip. Van der Wereld named his prized flower, the ‘Dr. James Parkinson’ tulip, to honor the English apothecary surgeon who originally described Parkinson’s in 1812.

You will see many variations, as PD organizations around the world use the tulip as a symbol of hope and optimism. The tulip unifies independent regional organizations like WPA, national organizations and their individual chapters, people with Parkinson’s and their family and friends, neurologists, research scientists, and more.

The tulip is a reminder that regardless of affiliation, we are one community working toward common goals: to help people with Parkinson’s live better longer, to discover better treatments, and to strive for a cure.

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Wisconsin Parkinson Association Mission

Our mission is to provide hope, community, support, and resources for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.

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Brookfield, WI 53005
414.312.6990
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