SANTA FE, NM, APRIL 2024 –The Parkinson’s Foundation will host Moving Day Santa Fe, Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Montecito Santa Fe. More than 200 people are expected to take part in movement demonstrations and a 1-mile walk to beat Parkinson’s. The family-friendly, in-person event is one of more than 45 Moving Days taking place across the country in 2024. The event has a goal of raising $50,000 to support the Southwest Chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Funds raised through Moving Day support cutting-edge research, improved quality of care, and education programs to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease and their families.
Moving Day is more than just a walk. It is a celebration of movement, which is critical in battling the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The event in Santa Fe will be fun and inspiring, including demonstrations of boxing, Moving to Heal and more to warm up the crowd for the walk. It is estimated that one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s, with approximately 90,000 people newly diagnosed each year. Moving Day events across the country have raised more than $40 million supporting the Parkinson’s Foundation’s mission to make life better for people with Parkinson’s disease.
This year the Southwest Chapter will be honoring Rock Steady Boxing Coach Adrienne Shurbet at Moving Day Santa Fe. Coach Shurbet was raised in Santa Fe, and after forays into advertising and retail she found her calling in the fitness industry as a trained and certified Pilates instructor. In 2016, a client walked into her studio with the news that she had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. That was the catalyst that led Adrienne to become a certified Rock Steady Boxing Head Coach, create Rock Steady Boxing Santa Fe, and start classes in her Pilates studio in 2017.
Her interest in the program surviving and thriving inspired her to go non-profit, creating Punching Out Parkinson’s Santa Fe in 2018. Soon after going non-profit, Adrienne moved classes to a rented space in a jiu-jitsu gym to accommodate her growing program. In March 2020 in response to the pandemic, classes went virtual and in-person outside when weather permitted. Having a vision of their very own space led to the opening of POP Santa Fe, a non-profit gym dedicated to serving the greater northern New Mexico PD community in 2021. Coach Shurbet is enormously grateful for her client who is responsible for this unlikely turn of events, and the community who came together to help realize this dream.
“I am a huge fan of Moving Day and have gathered a team and participated for the last 4 years. I believe the Parkinson’s Foundation is a pillar of support and resources for Parkinson’s Disease and those who care for them. Coming together for Moving Day supports the Parkinson’s Foundation which in turn supports the Parkinson’s community – it’s a circle of love and support!” said Coach Shurbet.
One of the critical efforts supported by Moving Day donations is PD GENEration, a clinical study by the Parkinson’s Foundation. PD GENEration examines the genetic foundations of the disease, opening doors to new treatment approaches and, hopefully, a cure. The Foundation is seeking additional participants for the study, and more information will be available at the event.
To learn more about Moving Day Santa Fe and how you, your family and friends, and your company can get involved, please visit MovingDaySantaFe.org. Moving Day is made possible, in part, through the generous support of national and local partners including: Abbvie, Supernus, StudioNia, Homeinstead, Amneal, and more.
About the Parkinson’s Foundation
The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience, and passion of our global Parkinson’s community. Since 1957, the Parkinson’s Foundation has invested more than $400 million in Parkinson’s research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).
About Parkinson’s Disease
Affecting an estimated one million Americans and ten million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson’s and 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.
