Capitol Market has added a new event to its Green Chili
Shootout schedule: a 5k walk to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation and its
mission to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.
The walk, The Fox
Trot for Parkinson's Research, will take place Saturday, March 16 at
Capitol Market, beginning at 10 a.m., just prior to the chili competition at noon.
"Capitol Market is proud to support The Michael J. Fox
Foundation and to add the Fox Trot 5k walk to our Green Chili Shootout weekend,"
said Capitol Market Executive Director Tammy Borstnar.
While the 5k walk is called The Fox Trot, participants don't
have to dance their way through the course, said event organizer George Manahan.
"We named it Fox Trot in honor of Team Fox and The Michael
J. Fox Foundation," Manahan said. "We hope the event is a fun way to raise
money for an organization that is making a huge difference in Parkinson's
research."
Manahan, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago,
said he is organizing the event to raise money and to bring attention to the
disease.
"Even though Parkinson's disease is the world's second most
common brain disorder, behind Alzheimer's, there has been little to no public
discussion of the illness in this part of West Virginia," he said.
The goal of the event is to raise $5,000 for the foundation.
Team sponsors for the walk include: Highland Hospital, The Manahan Group,
C&T Design, Brown Communications, Steve Payne Photography, Terry Mathias,
Malone Consulting, The Arnold Agency, The Reale Law Firm, State Treasurer's
Office, Connie and Pat Jones, Pierson Technical, Missy Spangler and Bev
Luikart.
"The Michael J. Fox Foundation is the global leader in
funding research projects seeking a cure to the disease," Manahan said.
"Michael J. Fox is an inspiration to everyone who has Parkinson's disease and
through his efforts; his foundation has raised over $313 million since 2000."
Manahan noted that Team Fox events, like the one taking
place St. Patrick's Day weekend in Charleston, have raised over $22 million.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological
disorder whose symptoms typically progress from a mild tremor to a complete
physical incapacitation. Despite years of research, scientists still don't know
what kills the neurons in the brain leading to slowness of movement, tremors,
reduced facial expressions, memory loss, changes in walking, rigidity of
muscles, and more.
An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living
with Parkinson's disease, as many as one million of them in the U.S.
Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year, most
of them over the age of 60. However, people as young as 20 years old and as old
as 100 may develop the disease. The combined direct and indirect cost of
Parkinson's, including treatment, social security payments and lost income for
inability to work, is estimated at nearly $25 billion per year in the United
States alone.
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