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This news is fantastic, and for more reasons than the city's grant of $4,000.00. Fantastic in that there are 80 participants in the program. Dallas Texas, has had a program with bi-weekly physical therapy sessions at eight different locations around the city and its Northern Suburbs. From a metropolitan area (excluding Fort Worth) of possibly 2,000,000 people, they have been able to draw only roughly this same number of participants each week, despite the fact that this has been a long-standing program. There are many reasons, it seems, that people with Parkinson's will not attend exercise and physical therapy programs, even when they are free of charge. These reasons range from denial to physical incapability. Many people are still working and the sessions would be a conflict with working hours. Others have trouble getting transportation from their homes to the exercise center. But the biggest reason, I would posit, is that neurologists treating people with Parkinson's do not adequately emphasize the importance of structured exercise to their patients and they do not direct their patients to where they can get it. Funding for Parkinson's is spent in several different areas. The most ballyhooed of these is in research. We want a cure - or at least we want a reduction of the symptoms. Major amounts of money go to medications, to make our lives more liveable. Education of the public about Parkinson's is also important. Precious little is left for physical therapy, which is considered by many to be the key to long life for many PWP's. But this same exercise may be the key for keeping people alive and active until the cure arrives. But it won't help unless the people with Parkinson's cooperate - and in Alison's case, it appears that a modestly good proportion have. So hats off to Alison, who is a member of this list, for a job well done. Art At 02:17 AM 12/1/2003 -0800, Murray Charters wrote: >Nonprofit Organizations Rely On Municipalities And Private Donations >By Lisa Goddard >The Sun-Sentinel >November 30, 2003 > >SNIP > >Alison Landes, founder and president of Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's >Inc., based in Boca Raton, is pleased the city >continues to fund nonprofits. A $4,000 grant will allow the organization, >a first-time recipient, to continue its >exercise program. > >"We have an exercise program in place now for about 80 people with >Parkinson's that allows them to socialize and keep >as active and flexible as possible, and the funding is really helpful," >Landes said. "We have to do a lot of fund- >raisers to support the organization, so this money will help get us over >the hump." > >SOURCE: The Sun-Sentinel / WPTV, FL >http://tinyurl.com/x5n8 > >* * * > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] >In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn