April is Parkinson’s disease Awareness Month! Get involved with numerous projects going on all over the world! There is something to choose for everyone. Whatever your level of energy or commitment, there is a cause or activity that should fulfill your desire to get involved a little or more!
April 11th is Dr. James Parkinson’s birthday, which is World Parkinson’s Day. Here are just a few of the dozens of events happening around the World:
Spark the Night
On April 11th, more than 440 sites worldwide will participate in the Spark the Night initiative. Check out the big map to see if your city is Sparking on April 11! For more information, visit https://www.worldparkinsonsnight.com/
Here’s a video of 2024’s “Sparked” landmarks:
Become a Sparklet
Here is something you, your family, friends, and community can do for the worldwide campaign to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease. Encourage everyone to become a *Sparklet* on April 11th and wear blue. You can also decorate your home, office, neighborhood and take a selfie in front of your “Sparklet”. Then upload the pictures to www.worldparkinsonsnight.com where it can become part of an international collage of the Parkinson’s Community.
Sit to Stand Challenge 2025
Register now to complete as many sit to stands you can do in 24 hours! This year’s goal – 2 million around the world!
Insight 2025
Would you like to be part of the largest Parkinson’s Online Conference? Curated by Dr Melissa McConaghy, founder and CEO of PD Warrior, this annual FREE educational event serves to provide an informative, inspirational, and supportive experience to our global warrior community. It is free to sign up and watch online live on the 11th and 12th of April (in your timezone). Two days of free streaming will start on 11th April, 9am AEST, to celebrate World Parkinson’s Day, and finish on the 12th April. You can stream on-demand in the convenience of your own home, with 24-hour access per day. The third day (13th April) is a dedicated day for Health Professionals.
Start Raising Parkinson’s disease Awareness
PDAvengers.com is a great place to start your advocacy! Sign up today to become a PD Avenger.
Raise awareness by attending a Parkinson’s conference:
–March 29th – Great Minds for a Healthier Brain – Mentes brillantes para un cerebro más sano – in-person hosted by PMD Alliance, Woodbridge VA.
— April 12th – Virginia Parkinson’s Education and Empowerment Day, Richmond VA hosted by Power Over Parkinson’s and VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center.
–April 22nd – 2nd Annual Parkinson’s Educational Event, Charlotteville VA hosted by APDA Virginia, The Parkinson’s Activity and Resource Center, and UVA Neurology Department.
Free Virtual and in person speech therapy through Shenandoah University. For more information, contact Myra Schatzki, Director of Clinical Education, at myra.schatzki@su.edu or 540-665-4634.
Free virtual speech therapy for those in Virginia and Washington DC.
Try waking up your voice at 11AM EST for daily online SPEAKOUT® voice practices from the Parkinson Voice Project https://parkinsonvoiceproject.org/program/parkinsons-speech-exercises/ If you can’t make it to the live, they are recorded.
Be on the lookout for numerous Parkinson’s events and announcements throughout the whole month of April, for all that is happening. Small outreach can have BIG impacts in our community. For example: speaking to your neighbors, friends, or colleagues about Parkinson’s is a great way to raise awareness. Do you have any advocacy or outreach you are planning to do this month? Let us know in the comments below.
