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PWP Society Membership Update
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You’ve been asking about it, and PWP Society membership is back!
At our Board meeting in August, the Board of Parkinson Wellness Projects laid out the official process to become a member of the PWP Society. Once the process is formally approved at our September Annual General Meeting, we will be able to sign up Society members. Members of the Society have the ability to vote on major resolutions brought forth by the Board, can stand for Board membership, and can vote to elect Board members at our AGMs.
You do not have to be a member of the Society to be a PWP participant – our classes, support groups, workshops and counselling are open to anyone who needs them.
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To become a member of the PWP Society, you must confirm that you meet one or more of the following eligibility criteria:
- You have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or are, or have been, the primary caregiver, or immediate family member, of a person diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease,
- You have been a participant in programs offered by the Society or one of the Amalgamating Societies in the past year or for a continuous period of at least one year, or
- You have acted as a volunteer for the Society or one of the Amalgamating Societies in the past year or for a continuous period of at least one year.
There is no cost to signing up as a Society member, and you are not required to attend the Annual General Meeting if you’re not available. If you’re interested in being a Society member, please contact our office and we can add you to our list. Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you.
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Announcing Executive Director Bailey Martin!
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Parkinson Wellness Projects is proud to announce the appointment of Bailey Martin to the position of Executive Director of PWP. As Executive Director, Bailey will manage day-to-day operations, reporting as always to our tireless Board of Directors.
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Bailey joined PWP in November last year as our new Program and Education Manager. In that role, she oversaw the amalgamation of PWP and HeadWay and integrated the programming of both organizations into a cohesive whole, while managing assessments for our growing participant population.
Throughout the summer, Bailey has worked to re-open our in-house classes, manage our expansion, and position us for a successful coming year. At the August Board meeting, the Board unanimously agreed that it was time to name her the organization’s Executive Director.
If you’d like to drop Bailey a line to congratulate her on her promotion, she can be reached at bailey@parkinsonwellness.ca.
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In-Person Fitness: COVID Updates
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The wait is over! Our instructors and staff have been fully vaccinated, and we are back in-house for limited in-person classes!
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Starting on September 7th, we are offering five of our fitness classes in person at our Blanshard Street centre: Dance for Parkinson’s, Yoga, Functional Fitness, Tai Chi, and PWPFit! These classes are limited to ten people per session, and registration is mandatory. Please wear a mask and sanitize your hands upon entering the building, and check-in with the front desk in room 202 before you enter the gym.
As part of our in-house offerings, Bailey Martin will be starting in-person reassessments in September. It's been a while since you've been in the gym and we want to make sure you're in the classes that best suit your needs and abilities. Even if you have maintained a rigorous exercise routine over the past 15 months, it's a great idea to check in every year to see where you're at.
Remember that if you plan on attending our in-person classes, we will ask to see proof of immunization prior to your first class. You can do this in person on the day of your class, or you can email us a copy beforehand. If you are not fully vaccinated, we are recommending that you continue to enjoy our Zoom classes.
Please contact info@parkinsonwellness.ca or call us at (250) 360-6800 to register or for more information.
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There are new ways to get in touch with us! As we prepare to update our website, we’re condensing and simplifying our email addresses.
Going forward, for all of your general questions, concerns, registrations or conversations, you can drop a line to info@parkinsonwellness.ca. If you’d like to get in touch with our Executive Director, you can reach Bailey at bailey@parkinsonwellness.ca. Finally, for any fundraising, communications, or donor-related questions, contact Misha at misha@parkinsonwellness.ca.
We won’t be using our old accounts any more, but messages sent to them will still reach us for a while. You don’t need to worry about any message you’ve already sent.
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The EPA is banning Chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide that has been linked to Parkinson’s and to neurological damage in children. This follows years of campaigning by environmental advocates and farmers, and will be a major improvement for anyone eating American crops. For more information, follow this link.
The Adira Foundation is inviting people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers to join a grant proposal review committee. Through each grant proposal review group, Adira plans to actively bring patients and their caregivers together to better understand their shared needs and concerns, ensuring that funding goes to the people who need it the most.
For more information about the Adira Foundation and their grants, click on this link.
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Join Kimberly Brown, principal Portfolio Manager and lead Wealth Management Professional for the Brown Wealth Management team for A Financial Readiness Conversation. This discussion is taking place over Zoom on Thursday, September 16 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
In this workshop, Kim will discuss what is involved with Estate Planning, give you confidence in making arrangements in advance to take care of your family and provide tools and guidance to help you make informed decisions about your future.
If interested, please email info@parkinsonwellness.ca to register.
Holiday Closures
In observance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Parkinson Wellness Projects will be CLOSED, and ALL classes suspended on Thursday, September 30.
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Rock Steady Boxing is a non-contact boxing-based fitness curriculum which adapts exercises from boxing drills to support people with Parkinson’s Disease.
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Exercises vary in purpose and form but share one common trait: they are rigorous and intended to extend the perceived capabilities of the participant. Rock Steady Boxing is one of the fitness programs in use by Parkinson Wellness Project for our own participants.
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For more Parkinson's resources, visit our Resource page on our website. If you have a resource you would like to add, please let us know!
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