For nearly two decades, the Davis Phinney Foundation has offered educational programs designed to help people live well with Parkinson’s. And we have learned, without a doubt, that the community connections we’ve made because of our programs are what create lasting change. That is why we launched our Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ initiative: to reach and help more people with Parkinson’s live well by engaging community leaders who share our mission.
But declaring a goal and making it happen are two very different things. How fast is too fast? How much is too much? What’s the gap between what’s there and what could be added to create significant results? And maybe most important, when you’re ready to move from idea to reality, how many people are willing to do the very difficult work of coming alongside you day after day to bring it to life and ensure it thrives? Those are questions we’ve been asking ourselves every day over the past few years.
Fortunately, we’ve learned that teaming up with leaders and advocates affected by Parkinson’s can get you far. Since launching the Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ initiative in 2021, communities across the US, Canada, and Australia have raised their hands to join us.
Additionally, in 2022, we added dozens of new Ambassadors, held our first Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ Leadership Conference in Kansas City, MO, continued to build our Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ (HPC) Network, hired our first Hispanic Community Engagement Manager, Dr. Claudia Martinez, and so much more.
To read our Healthy Parkinson’s Communities 2022 Annual Report, learn more about this work, and discover ways you can get involved, click here.
JOIN OUR PELOTON CLUB
Our educational content and community engagement work are made possible because of the monthly donors in our Peloton Club. Want to become a member and help us continue to create the resources people need to live well with Parkinson’s? Learn more and register to become a member here. It’s as easy as can be to set it and forget it.