 2005
TeamWalk Connections
Click here to see
TeamWalk Connection summaries and photos for the Canadian, New
England and MidAmerica TeamWalk Connections
 Northwest (Pleasanton , California),
Oct. 8, organized by Linda Gentner, SPF Board Member and her
husband Craig
Note from Linda: Friday evening, 10
couples from AZ, OR and CA gathered for dinner at
the Hilton where the out-of-towners were staying. The
advantage of a small group is that you really get to know more
about one another.
Of course the normal discussions about PLS and HSP occurred,
but what I found most interesting was when Sue (Susieq on the PLS-Friends List) asked the Goulds how they
met. They met at a dance class a few years prior (before Don’s
HSP)…now what was interesting was immediately they had another
connection because they were dancers, too. They talked about
square dancing and then round dancing. I took it all in.
Saturday, 60 people gathered at the church for
our Connection. We had 13 people with PLS and HSP. Five others
never made it but we
considered 13 a good turnout for our SPF Community. We had a
continental breakfast before we started out on our TeamWalk
through downtown Pleasanton. It was a little chilly for my
liking at first but I quickly warmed up. It was in the high
60’s, sunny, perfect walking weather! I did notice that the
walk wasn’t as easy for me as last year – darn PLS
progression! Most walkers seemed to enjoy the walk through
quaint downtown Pleasanton and especially the Farmer’s Market
– I noticed several coming back with produce, etc., from the
market. One of those people was Dr. Cathy Lomen-Hoerth,
Director of the ALS Center in San Francisco; she was pleased
that she had secured her fresh veggies for the week.
Back to the church for lunch! The table coverings were nice
fall colors and we enjoyed tasty pita bread sandwiches, potato
salad, chips, miniature gourmet veggies and cookies and lots
of different drinks. After lunch, Dr. Lomen-Hoerth spoke
briefly about PLS and HSP and current research findings about
familial ALS which was very exciting. She was available for
one-on-one questions after we broke for the day. Ken, Bob,
Kris, Linda and Susan are all patients of Dr. Lomen-Hoerth and
we got a nice picture of all us together.
Following
was the announcing of the raffle prizes. We ended up with lots
of raffle prizes thanks mainly to my daughter-in-law's father
who works for a winery and he delivered 4 cases of wine on
Friday so we had lots of winners of wine but we had a few
dinners for local restaurants and some golf packages and 3 fun
holiday decorations – a Halloween Witch, Singing Reindeer, a
musical Snowman and an educational toy which were of
particular interest to the kids and adults who had grandkids.
Our raffle items brought in over $400. We had the quilt on
display and we sold lots of tickets for that too. People are
so impressed with the quality workmanship. I think we are up
to about $1,000 for the quilt.
All in all, I think it was a very nice day and good for SPF
and our efforts!
New York (Long Island), Oct. 16,
organized by Betsy Baquet
Some 100 people from NY, PA, CT and MA attended the first New
York TeamWalk Connection at Eisenhower Park, East Meadow.
Betsy's committee did a fabulous job organizing T-shirts and
drink bottles, setting up signs and balloons and getting a
variety of foods donated. The air was brisk and windy but that
didn't deter from the fabulous time everyone had. There were
plenty of sandwiches, donuts, drinks and coffee to enjoy while
everyone socialized. Special excitement was generated with the
appearance of John O'Donohue, actor from NYPD Blue. SPF member
John Donohue was presented an autographed picture of Mr.
Donohue, in honor of having such a similar name and it being
(our) John's birthday that day. Attendees had such a great
time that there is already talk of organizing a golf
tournament in the spring.
Registration went like clockwork! |
Several SPF members enjoy eating and socializing before
the TeamWalk began. |
Getting ready for the TeamWalk! |
From left: actor John Donohue, Betsy Baquet (TeamWalk
Connection organizer) and actor John O'Donohue |
 Southern (Nashville,
TN), Oct. 22,
organized by Jim Sheorn, SPF Board Member
Note from Jim: We had a wonderful TeamWalk
Connection in Nashville. During the Connection Luncheon,
participants listened to Dr. Peter Hedera. Dr. Hedera is a
researcher from Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He
discussed symptoms of HSP and PLS and what makes them
different. He also gave an update on the research that he an
his colleagues are doing. They are currently using worms and
trying to identify what causes HSP.
After the Connection Luncheon, we went to Centennial Park for
the Team Walk. It was a nice Fall day to enjoy
each other and raise much needed funds for research. Together
the group raised almost $8,000 and we are still waiting on
other donations.
 Southwest (Tempe, Arizona), Oct. 23,
organized by Bonnie Guzelf
Note from Bonnie (Bonnie is seated in the front row on
the right.): The day was beautiful! We got to the park
and found out that there was a bike race there also. The bike
people and blocked off the parking lot and blocked all of the
handicap spots! Well I fixed that in a hurry and then we set
up.
 I
had gotten donations of food from several places and we had a
sandwich platter, chips & cookies and the donuts from Krispy
Kreme. We had a lovely lakeside lunch. Everyone said they had
a wonderful time!
Then, we walked the lake 7/8 of a mile for our TeamWalk.
We fed the ducks & pigeons, met some new friends and had nice
company.
“TeamWalk Connections” are our annual community efforts to
raise funds for research to find the cure for SPF diseases and
to help people affected by the conditions. A Connection event
provides the opportunity to meet others affected by HSP or
PLS, share stories and concerns, learn and have fun. Then, the
group heads out for a TeamWalk walkathon, a fundraising effort
where individuals have gotten sponsors for their participation
in the TeamWalk. All funds raised support SPF Research Awards.
The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation is the only organization in
the Americas that is dedicated to raising funds specifically
for HSP and PLS research. Thank you!
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