MORE than 1,000 people are expected at Eastern Park this September to advocate for greater Geelong\u2019s Parkinson\u2019s community.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s inaugural \u201cA Walk in the Park\u201d event was held last year, with over 500 registered participants taking part to raise $17,000 for those affected by the neurological condition.<\/p>\n
The state-wide fundraiser \u2013 which has been running in Melbourne 11 years \u2013 is Australia\u2019s largest community event dedicated to improving the lives of people with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Geelong event organiser Kirsten George, who championed A Walk in the Park Geelong, said she was inspired to bring the fundraiser to her hometown after participating in the Melbourne leg.<\/p>\n
Ms George\u2019s 73-year-old father was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s nearly two decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year exceeded all of our expectations. We\u2019re looking to double our efforts this year,\u201d Ms George said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to do something to show our support. Geelong has quite a strong Parkinson\u2019s community and three support groups. It\u2019s been a really nice to meet others with Parkinson\u2019s as everyone has their own individual journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Parkinson\u2019s Victoria, there are currently 80,000 Parkinson\u2019s sufferers in Australia, with 27,000 being Victorians. Thirty Aussies are diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s every day.<\/p>\n
Amanda Bolch, content and communications specialist at Parkinson\u2019s Victoria, said this year the fundraiser is expanding to other Victorian locations including Frankston, Horsham, Mildura and Warrnambool.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important thing is they\u2019re all out there raising awareness for Parkinson\u2019s and supporting their local communities,\u201d Ms Bolch said.<\/p>\n
A Walk in the Park Geelong was launched last Wednesday at Homestyle Belmont Grange and attracted 40 guests including Christine Couzens MP.<\/p>\n
Ms George said in a bid to attract new walkers, the volunteer team is running a Facebook campaign titled \u201cOur family, your family\u201d which will feature stories from Parkinson\u2019s sufferers in Geelong and the Surf Coast.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s A Walk in the Park Geelong is scheduled for Sunday September 8.<\/p>\n
For more information and to register, visit parkinsonswalkgeelong.com.au or facebook.com\/ ParkinsonsWalkGeelong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MORE than 1,000 people are expected at Eastern Park this September to advocate for greater Geelong\u2019s Parkinson\u2019s community. The city\u2019s inaugural \u201cA Walk in the Park\u201d event was held last year, with over 500 registered participants taking part to raise $17,000 for those affected by the neurological condition. The state-wide fundraiser \u2013 which has been […]<\/p>\n