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It is my pleasure to stand before you all-politicians, doctors, heads of
corporations, the press, honored guests and fellow people with
parkinson’s disease; to be able to thank those of you who helped to make
this year’s Shake, Rattle & Roll the success that has become. It is also
my pleasure to share with you in celebrating two special places that
have all of CALIPSO’S support and thanks for all they do in this
community for people living with parkinson’s. First, I’d like to take a
few minutes to recognize some of the folks who took the idea of a
fundraiser for parkinson’s, gave that idea wings and flew with it and
me. These certificates can express only a small fraction of the thanks
that I feel in my heart for all you have done for me and Shake, Rattle &
Roll.

Please come up when your name is called and wait until everyone is up
here for a photo. _State Representative David Leitch_ for all he does to
help people in this district fight disease and bad information, _Michael
Bryant,_ my special friend who loves to tease me and whom I love to try
to shock and who has supported me and therefore all of my projects from
day one, _Dr. Marc Katchen_, who is the best damn doctor I know and is
the first one I run to when I have a question or problem, _Dr._ _Rick
Weber,_ my friend and confidante, my chief cheerleader and main source
of encouragement, _Jay Goldberg-_my dear friend and advisor, thanks for
telling me that I can, _Patrick Sullivan_, who has been with me from the
beginning and is always so generous with his time, properties, and
connections, _Gina Morss_ from Channel 25 WMBD-TV, another one who has
always been there for me and who is our honored master of ceremonies
each year, _Larry Wigand_ from _the Dave Chastain_ _Band ._for making
this year’s event rock & who have now made the commitment to become
active in parkinson’s disease fundraising by joining CALIPSO as members
of our Board of Directors. _Prairie Grass_ for bringing their special
style of bluegrass for us to enjoy, _Bill Keister,_ another old and dear
friend whom I always count on to provide our sound system and be our
soundman each year, _Jim Evenhaus _of the Rotary North, who each year
serves as our chief promoter and head cashier, _Miike & Tracy
Castle_-Mike (a pwp) was the winner of this year’s first annual Patricia
A. Pavelka service and inspiration to the pd community and his lovely
wife who helped to organize and run this year’s auction, another husband
and wife team: _Troy & Lisa Webb, _ he is my new young friend w/ pd who
always encouraged me when times got tough and his wife who pulled
auction duty w/ Tracy, and together with the Castles and Pavelka’s put
together most of our wonderful workers, my dearest friend and
partner-in-crime, _Holly Angus,_ _Craig Kendell_, who was with me in the
very early days, who traveled w/ me to New York as my personal
photographer & whom I cannot pay enough to make me look good, no matter
the weather and has been there to record most of my events on film,
_Robert Delano,_ a 31 yr old parkie who has had the courage to become
friends w/ a bossy old lady with advanced pd and not be scared off and
who has become the wedbmaster of our CALIPSO website, a couple of
first-timers without whom I would still be looking for my sunglasses and
my mind: my baby sister _Joyce Kapacinskas_ and Jay Goldberg’s
right-hand gal and now mine as well-_Janelle Justice_, _Connie Randell,_
a friend of many years, who still talks to me despite my hare-brained
schemes & who each year tries to outdo herself in coming up with a
better donation to our auction and _Jan Quinton_ , another friend from
the old days who has increased her support each year from the AmericInn
& hit the big board of sponsors in 2006, _Daniel Buchanan,_ who this
past year, mixed his art and pottery skills into a real fundraising fool
for pd. Last but not least, my new friend _Karen Pavelka Walden,_ whom I
met this year when her mother died after battling pd for over 35 years
and then made the life altering mistake of asking me if she could help.
For these and countless others who invested time and products to my
dream, I am humbled and grateful. Ladies & Gentlemen, the best group of
volunteers in the world!!!

Now, it is time for me to embark on the part of my job that gives me the
most pleasure and satisfaction and that is being able to hand out
CALIPSO raised funds to people right here in our community who everyday
by their actions and programs help to improve the daily lives of
person’s living with parkinson’s.

Our first check is for $2,000 and it goes to IPMR-the Insitute for
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Please don’t think that they are
getting short-changed because their check is smaller than the other-I
did a entire gala fundraiser for them a couple of years ago and with the
money raised from that and other donations they were able to purchase a
Gait-way Walking Carpet. This is a further installment payment on that
wonderful item. Here to accept the check and to tell you a bit more
about this amazing machine is Rick Ericson, the director of iPMR and
Jane Hense of the Rehabilitatation Foundaton.

Dr. Craig Cady and I met on fluke. I was calling him about an entirely
different matter and happened to mention “stem cells.” Dr. Cady
immediately began to give me the low-down on his experiments in the area
of stem cell research and as they say in-vitro fertilization, we were a
match made in a petrie dish. Dr. Cady became my mentor and taught me
everything that I felt that I needed to know about this mind-boglaling
subject and I became his avid pupil. It was in his lab where I first saw
this squishy, little things floating around in fluid and it was in his
lab that I became aware of the many different ways that stem cells can
and must be used to help the real, live people who are ravaged by
parkinson’s disease. No amount of money can ever repay Dr. Cady for the
hope he has given me. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dr. Craig Cady.

Now,

--
Joan Blessington Snyder   54/16
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www.calipso-pd.org
“Hang tough……..no way through it but to do it.”
Chris in the Morning      Northern Exposure

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