2007 TeamWalk Connections - Summaries

 California  Florida  Georgia  Massachusetts   New York  North Carolina  Ohio  Oklahoma  Pennsylvania  Tennessee  Texas

Long Island, New York - September 29

 Organized by Betsy Baquet

The third annual Long Island TeamWalk took place at Wantagh Park in Wantagh, NY.   The 65 attendees enjoyed sunny skies, temperatures in the mid 70s, and a wonderful ocean breeze. The festivities began with a casual lunch. Participants enjoyed delicious food and great company, while children had fun with crafts and face painting. 

The weather was perfect for walking as we began our ceremonial march. The kids led the way, carrying our TeamWalk banner. Bystanders from neighboring events applauded our parade as we walked by, instilling pride and determination in our mission to find a cure.

Attendees were amazed by the exciting prizes displayed at our raffle table. Items donated included golf equipment and apparel, wine and spirits, plus an Apple IPOD Nano. About 20 prizes were awarded, including a 50/50 cash prize.

The day ended with my expression of sincere thanks and appreciation.  All who participated responded with optimism, support, and encouragement.  –Betsy Baquet

Special thanks to the following individuals and/or organizations:

Sponsors/Corporate Donations:

HSBC Mortgage, with special thanks to Dan Kilfoil                                     Future Brands, with special thanks to Steve Bellini
MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc., with special thanks to Tom Morgan

Volunteers who helped make the New York TeamWalk spectacular:

Raffle Donations:  Lora Piazza, George Olto, Steve Walkerwicz, Laura Gluf
Kids Activities: Jen Otero and Edward Baquet
Food Donations: Dunkin Donuts, Trinity Deli, Hicksville and Bagel Biz, East Meadow
Coordinators/Setup: Eddie Baquet, Edward Baquet, Joseph Baquet, Patricia Elrod, Margaret Maniscalco, Mary Englert,  Ellen Brach, Tina Appice, Debbie Rogers, Cathy Otero and Laura Flanagan

Pleasanton, California - October 5-6

 Organized by Linda Gentner                               

This marked the fourth year of our California TeamWalk for our Cures. Friday night, 30 people came out for dinner and discussion; both PLS and HSP were equally represented. Patients and caregivers were given the opportunity to talk, which took quite a while. But no one felt they were alone with their disorder after leaving the meeting. In addition to sharing our stories, we celebrated Dr. Malin Dollinger’s birthday with a special TeamWalk cake.

Saturday was a picture-perfect day. About 90 people attended the TeamWalk, compared with 65 last year. Participants came from Arizona, Vancouver, Seattle, West Des Moines, Boston, and southern California. We also had musical accompaniment for our trek. Kathi Geisler and myself were serenaded multiple times by Malin Dollinger. I’m sure we weren’t the only ones.

After lunch, we held our raffle, which Julie and Ken Auer were in charge of. I brought home more than $1,300 in cash, primarily from the raffle! My guess is that the California TeamWalk has added at least $30,000 to our research fund so far.

                           

Thomasville Georgia - October 13

Organized by Jane Anne King

What do you get when you take one funny, clever guy and add a beauty pageant contestant? The Georgia TeamWalk, of course. Jane Anne and Gary King hosted quite a shindig down in Thomasville this fall. 

On Friday night, a group of eight met for dinner. Then came Saturday, which was chock-full. About 29 of us lunched in a restaurant near town, shared our stories, and enjoyed three presentations. Kristine Riggs of the American Red Cross talked about the history of her organization and provided important emergency and disaster tips for handicapped folks. Debbie Sheuring, her daughter, and her daughter’s Canine Assistant dog put on a terrific show. This is one incredible dog!  He knows 90 different commands, including “kiss” and “snuggle”. Even more amazing, he knows 20-30 minute beforehand when Debbie’s daughter is going to have a seizure and can alert her parents with different barks for different types of seizures. Our third presenter was Dr. Tom Clouse. He demonstrated how we can learn to move better through basic, simple improvements like lifting our knees.

Next we went to a sweet park and did a walk to our shaded area. Jane Anne had collected lots of fabulous raffle items. Cold drinks and ice cream added to the festive atmosphere.

But that’s not all. After dinner came live music. Jane Anne’s son Timothy and his buddy James Eldridge played guitar, the professional group “Newport South” added a terrific performance, PLSer Jerry Simmons did a guitar set as well. We had a nice crowd. In addition to the TeamWalk folks, lots of locals came in to hear the good music, including Dr. Pope of Texas A & M, and her partner (part of the effort through Jane Anne’s recent visit there for the students to see and learn about our conditions). –Karen Johnson