World Parkinson’s Day Virtual Spin Class

April 11th is World Parkinson’s Day

Please join us on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at noon ET, in honoring World Parkinson’s Day with sweatconnected. This will be a 45 minute indoor cycling class via Zoom led by Danielle Devine-Baum set to some great music! Don’t have a bike? Please run, row or dance with us! All proceeds from this class go to the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s. You can reserve a spot for $23 here.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month:

  • Over 10 million people in the world are diagnosed with Parkinson’s – 1 million in the U.S.
  • Parkinson’s Disease is a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement; symptoms worsen as the disease progresses over time. Common symptoms include cogwheel rigidity, slowness in movement, tremors, and postural instability.
  • Average age of diagnosis is 58.
  • Parkinson’s Disease is 1.5x more likely in males than females
  • The economic burden of Parkinson’s is $14.4 Billion/year in the U.S. (this may be higher now due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
  • The Parkinson’s community has struggled over the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to people with Parkinson’s missing some of their therapies due to closures, or struggling with virtual options. These circumstances, for many, have accelerated their decline.

Virtual EVSP® Kirk Gibson Golf Classic

close up of golf ball on tee at Kirk Gibson Golf Classic.

Please join us for the fifth annual Kirk Gibson Golf Classic. Over the last 4 years we have raised over $700,000 to fund programs to benefit Parkinson’s patients and to provide research grants to find help a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. 

Virtual EVSP®
Kirk Gibson
Golf Classic

July 30 – August 9th 2021

Can’t join our Kirk Gibson Golf Classic in person? Please join us remotely on July 30 – August 9 for a round of golf from the course of your choice for the Virtual EVSP® Kirk Gibson Golf Classic! You choose the course and your time and stay connected with us via the 18Birdies App.

  • Participants receive a Kirk Gibson Golf Classic gift bag
  • Participants receive a link to the 5th Annual Kirk Gibson Golf Classic auction on August 23rd.

Feeling Competitive? Join our tournament via the 18Birdies app- the leaderboard will be updated throughout the weekend. This will be a scramble format.

  • Prize will be a foursome spot at the Fifth Annual Kirk Gibson Golf Classic at the Wyndgate Country Club on August 23, 2021 and will be awarded to the foursome that beats Kirk Gibson and his team by the most strokes. Should there be a tie, a group will be drawn at random. Winning foursome is responsible for transportation to/accommodations for the event.

Here’s how to join! All Sponsors will receive recognition on the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s website. You can sign up on GiveSmart.*

  • Base Hit ($23): receives a Kirk Gibson Golf Classic gift and online auction access**
  • Home Run ($92): 1 foursome-  each golfer will receive the Kirk Gibson Golf Classic gift bag and online auction access**
  • Grand Slam ($230): 1 foursome – each golfer will receive the Kirk Gibson Golf Classic gift bag (with extra swag!) and auction access**
  • Walk-Off ($1,000): 1 foursome – each golfer will receive the Kirk Gibson Golf Classic gift bag (with extra swag!) and auction access** and ONE autographed baseball per foursome.

*Virtual golf outing fees do not include golf course greens fees.

**Auction to be held on August 23, 2021 on the GiveSmart platform.

If you have any questions please email golf@kirkgibsonfoundation.org

You can see a recap of the 2020 Virtual EVSP® Kirk Gibson Golf Classic here!

Proceeds from this event will be used in the fight against Parkinson’s Disease.

2021 Detroit Marathon Registration now OPEN!

skyline shot of Detroit from inside city limits

We are pleased to announce that the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s is a proud charity partner for the 2021 Detroit Free Press Marathon.

Race weekend will be October 16-17, 2021 and includes the following distances:

  • Full Marathon 26.2 Miles
  • International Half-Marathon 13.1 Miles
  • U.S.-Only Half-Marathon 13.1 Miles
  • Marathon Relay (Complete the marathon with friends!)
  • Competitive 1-Mile
  • 5K
  • And the Meijer Kids Fun Run!
Click HERE To Register Today!

You can sign up for any of these distances and raise funds for the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s while you train/race! All races will have a virtual run option as well. Early bird pricing is from January 1- March 1, 2021 and prices increase March 2, 2021. Please remember to choose the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s as your charity when you sign up! As part of our Team 23 running team, you will raise a minimum of $500 on the GivenGain fundraising platform, and you will receive a Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s dri-fit shirt for running as part of our team!

You can see full event details at: https://www.freepmarathon.com/

All precautions for the race related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

For a recap of the 2020 race and Team 23’s great accomplishments you can read Jamen and Debra’s stories here.

If you were signed up for 2020 and deferred to 2021, you should have received your code for sign up from the Detroit Marathon team.

We hope you will join us by running together in the fight against Parkinson’s Disease. For further questions please email michelle@kirkgibsonfoundation.org

Kilter Miles for Meaning Challenge

Please join the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s in the 2021 Miles for Meaning Challenge! The team with the most miles from March 1-31, 2021 will win a minimum $25,000 donation. The challenge is free to join – just download the Kilter Rewards app and track your miles each day. There are also individual prizes throughout the challenge as well.

You can see more details and sign up for the challenge here.

Congratulations 2020 (FIRST PLACE WINNER) Jamen Spitzer!

From December 8-14, 2020 Kilter Rewards kicked off the Miles for Meaning Challenge with the Captain’s Challenge competition. The challenge was who could run the most miles in one week – each team had one representative. The Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s was represented by Team 23 superstar Jamen Spitzer who won FIRST PLACE with a whopping 154 miles run in just one week. That included 2 full marathons (one day over 30 miles!) and even a personal best time. Jamen – we are so proud of you and thank you for all that you do with us in the fight against Parkinson’s! You can see more about Jamen’s thoughts about the competition in this video: