For the second year in a row, an 11-year-old Olds resident has raised the most money in a Central Alberta fundraiser for Parkinson's disease.
Emma Zwark also had the honour of cutting the ribbon in the Flexxaire Parkinson Step 'n Stride, held in Red Deer Sept. 6.
Parkinson's disease generally starts with tremors in the hands and progresses to other symptoms which can include stiffness as well as slurred speech.
Zwark raised $2,210 this year, client services co-ordinator Marilynne Herron says. When interviewed, she was unable to say how much Zwark raised last year.
Zwark could not be reached for comment at the time this story was written.
Zwark walked in honour and memory of her grandfather, who had Parkinson's and passed away. His widow, Mary Devolin, is very proud of her granddaughter's accomplishment.
She's also very impressed with the number of Olds and area people who participated in the fundraiser.
“Eighteen to 20 people from Olds and area (participated in the walk) from as far as Sundre and Torrington,” Devolin says.
In total, 125 to 150 people participated in the walk, from across Central Alberta.
Herron anticipates the walk will raise about $55,000 for Parkinson's services, research, etc., this year, up about $10,000 from last year.
Herron is unsure precisely why more money was raised this year.
“It's just hard to say,” she says. “We offer really, really good support service around the Central Alberta region, with support groups and home visits and presentations and basically whatever people want.”
“I think (because we offer) a lot of client services, our clients worked really, really hard to raise funds for us because I think they're just appreciative that we would come out to the region,” Herron adds.
Herron notes 20 to 30 people attend a support group in Olds for people who have Parkinson's and their caregivers.
Parkinson Alberta provides support services, education, advocacy and some funds for research into the disease.
Herron says it's an “Alberta-only stand-alone charity.”
“So any money that's raised for Parkinson Alberta is spent for persons with Parkinson's and their families in Alberta. Money doesn't go anywhere else,” she says.
