SPF
2006
National Conference & TeamWalk Weekend
 Long Island, New York;
September 15-17
Location
Our National Weekend hub is the
Marriott Hotel in
Melville, NY (Long Island). Both the Arrival Dinner and National Conference will
be at the hotel. Sunday's
TeamWalk (a walkathon) will be held in nearby Wantagh Park in Wantagh. Hotel rooms have been set aside at a discounted rate of $99 per night. Call 1-800-228-9290 and ask for group code SPASPAA.
Note for travelers flying in: Both JFK and LaGuardia airports in NYC are about the same
distance from Melville. There's also the
Long Island MacArthur airport on
Long Island.Help will be made
available for individuals needing transportation assistance.
Register below.
Weekend event details
Arrival Dinner, 7:00 p.m.
  Our
National Weekend begins with an Arrival Dinner at 7:00 p.m. in a hotel function
room. Join others in our HSP/
PLS community for a wonderful evening! Meet old friends from past Connections
and Conferences and make new ones while sharing stories and concerns.
The Arrival Dinner is $25 per person. A vegetarian option will be available.
 Saturday
National Conference, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
"Today's Technology for a Brighter Future" Conference features a comprehensive
program with many distinguished experts speaking on a host of critical topics.
We are especially honored to present keynote speakers SPF Medical Advisor and
Research Award Recipient John K. Fink, M.D. (photo at right); SPF Research Award
Recipient Brett Peter Lauring, M.D., Ph.D.; and SPF Medical Advisory Board
member Mark Gudesblatt, M.D. See their bios
here.
Presentations will include the latest on HSP and PLS research, clinical
information, physical rehabilitation, gait and balance therapy, spasticity
management and treatment options, adaptive/assistive devices. There are also
special break-out sessions for patients and family members to separately discuss
issues in living with a chronic illness. Please see our brochure for a list of
our conference presenters and biographies.
The Conference fee is $50 per person, which includes the conference and
materials, continental breakfast and lunch.
After the Conference, you can choose to join others for a Saturday Dinner outing
to a local restaurant or make your own evening plans.
Information will be included in your Conference packet.
Click on the thumbnails below to see some photos from past National Conferences:
  Sunday TeamWalk For Our Cures,
Wantagh Park, 10:00 a.m.
Our TeamWalk walkathon is our primary community fundraiser to
raise funds for research on HSP and PLS. You'll walk, roll or stroll as little or as much as you'd like
on our TeamWalk route. Or, if you
prefer, remain and enjoy the morning with other non-walkers at the TeamWalk
gathering area, cheering on walkers as they return. We are
very honored that RT Sourcing is the key sponsor of our
TeamWalk and will provide canvas tote bags to all
participants.
Raising research funds...one step at
a time
Our TeamWalk walkathon is a pre-paid event. Your $10
Registration Fee registers you in the TeamWalk and reserves
your TeamWalk t-shirt. You'll raise sponsorships for your participation, not
distance walked. Individuals who raise at least $250
will be in our "Heart and Sole" club. Remember
that 100% of funds raised will support Research Awards and no
other organization raises funds specifically for research on
HSP and PLS!
 The best way to get sponsorships is to ask your family and friends
directly. The next-best way is a letter-writing campaign where you send out your
personal letter along with a self-addressed-stamped envelope for them to return
their donation. Click here for Tips and a Sample Letter. We can also set up a TeamWalk
webpage, where your family and friends can make online sponsorships. See
Julie and Mark's TeamWalk webpage. Contact
us
for a personal webpage.
Our
TeamWalk theme this year is ‘Add 6 in 2006’, which is a goal for all
participants to seek out 6 new sponsors or donors to support their TeamWalk. If
we accomplish that goal, we will add hundreds of additional donors and
supporters to the SPF network, helping to support our mission to find a cure.
Print out this Sponsorship Form
(PDF file) to track your sponsorships and mail in with your donations. Please
send all sponsorship donations to SPF TeamWalk, P.O. Box 1208, Fortson, GA by
Sept. 11 (bring late donations with you).
There is currently no treatment to prevent, stop or reverse
the degenerative process in PLS or HSP. These diseases attack
one’s ability to walk, often leaving their victims in
wheelchairs. They can also rob people of the ability to use
their hands and arms, and even to speak or cause other neurological problems as well. The
Spastic Paraplegia Foundation is the only organization in the Americas that is
dedicated to raising funds specifically for HSP and PLS
research. The organization is 100% volunteer managed and the
TeamWalk For Our Cures is the national, community event to
raise funds for research.
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Friday:
Arrival Dinner
