A lot can happen in one year!
In 2024, we welcomed new faces to our community, hit fundraising goals, and added a brand new educational series to the PCLA library.
Our YouTube channel continues to grow, allowing us to spread vital information to people impacted by Parkinson’s across the globe.
In the background, we’ve been hard at work rebranding PCLA and are counting down to the launch of our new and improved website in 2025!
Here’s a snapshot of all the wonderful accomplishments we’re celebrating from 2024.
2024 By The Numbers
We had many quantifiable successes over the past year!
Here are just a handful of numbers demonstrating how PCLA positively impacted the Parkinson’s community.
$50K by Labor Day
Fully funded! $50K raised in less than a month thanks to the generosity of our board and PCLA community.
LA 5K
15 Teams Representing PCLA
$38,168 Raised
Let’s Taco Parkinson’s Fundraising Event
$9,550 Raised
Let’s Talk Parkinson’s Series
20 Events Hosted
3,415 Registrants in 2024
158K views via our YouTube channel
Life Beyond The Basics Annual Conference
5 Doctors Presented
262 Registered
Moving Forward
308 attendees for the first two installments of our brand-new series!
Year-End Fundraiser (Holiday Hope for Parkinson’s)
$23K raised to date!
YouTube Channel
We started the year with 5,000 subscribers, which allowed us to activate YouTube Monetization! This means we now receive a small profit from our YouTube videos.
We’re closing 2024 with over 7,000 subscribers and are confident we will surpass 10,000 in 2025!
This is an exciting milestone, as our goal is always to spread information to all people impacted by Parkinson’s. YouTube allows us to widen our reach and help people worldwide.
The People Powering PCLA
In 2024 we were grateful to have Nathalie Holtzman and Charles Schiell in new and prominent roles with PCLA!
Nathalie comes to PCLA with a deep knowledge of event planning.
As PCLA’s Community Engagement Director, Nathalie has worked tirelessly to ensure our events run smoothly from start to finish. She often goes above and beyond to assist with marketing efforts and consult on organizational planning. Her eye for detail and passion for planning have made her an invaluable asset to our team. Thank you, Nathalie!
Charles has been massively helpful in managing the PCLA email inbox and connecting the PCLA community to vital resources in real time.
As PCLA’s Information & Referral Specialist, Charles acts behind the scenes to monitor requests from PCLA’s members and get people appropriate care, whether it be caregiver support, exercise class info, or financial resources. He’s also our boots on the ground, helping to spread the PCLA word to the LA community and beyond! Thank you, Charles!
NEW Moving Forward Series
We launched our BRAND NEW educational series, Moving Forward, in October with marked success!
Moving Forward features special presentations from experts in the medical community to provide tools & strategies that maximize quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s.
We are grateful to Dr. Mary Grace Lagasca, OTD, for kicking off the first installment of Moving Forward with her four-part series on Practical Tips to Maintain Independence And Make Life Easier.
The second half of her series will take place in January and February, so please mark your calendars for upcoming opportunities to hear her insights on how to your absolute best life with Parkinson’s! We’re excited to see this event grow in 2025 and already have some exciting speakers lined up!
Let’s Talk Parkinson’s Highlights
Let’s Talk Parkinson’s continues to be one of our most popular educational series!
Enjoy a collection of highlights from our 2024 presenters:
Deep Brain Stimulation or Focused Ultrasound: Which is the Right Option for You? With Dr. Ausaf Bari
In January, we hosted Dr. Ausaf Bari, MD, PhD, for a conversation about the unique benefits of deep brain stimulation (DBS) versus focused ultrasound.
YOPD Panel: Navigating External Expectations with Parkinson’s
We’re grateful to PCLA members Jennifer Parkinson, Miguel Sanchez, Nathan Ward, and Patrice Rifkind, who shared their experiences with YOPD during an April panel discussion.
Choking and Swallowing Issues with Parkinson’s with Julia Nicholls
In May, we were joined by speech-language pathologist and PCLA board member Julia Nicholls for a talk about how speech and swallowing changes can interfere with daily activities like eating and communication, and how speech therapy can improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s Dystonia Symptoms, Manifestations, and Treatments with Dr. Xenos Mason
In June, we had an excellent discussion with Dr. Xenos Mason, MD, about recognizing and treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s dystonia.
Atypical Parkinsonisms with Dr. Yvette Bordelon
Dr. Yvette Bordelon, MD, PhD, joined us in July for a presentation on atypical Parkinsonisms and how they present with some signs and symptoms of PD but generally do not respond well to drug treatment with levodopa.
Q&A: The Latest in PD Research 2024 with Dr. Jeff Bronstein
We’re grateful to Dr. Bronstein, MD, PhD, who joins PCLA each year for a presentation on the latest in PD research.
Life Beyond The Basics Conference – December 8th
For the first time in many years, we held our annual Life Beyond the Basics Conference in-person as well as online!
While this presented a new set of challenges, we feel positively about the event and are grateful to our Medical Advisory Board who once again brought their invaluable knowledge to the PCLA community.
Speaker highlights included:
- Wael El-Nachef, MD, PhD, on the Gut-Brain Connection: Insights into the Microbiome’s Role in Parkinson’s Disease
- Xenos Mason, MD, on The Role of Genetic Testing in Parkinson’s Disease Care
- Melita Petrossian, MD, on Parkinson’s Dementia and Delusions: The impact on the relationship and communication between the PWP and care partner
- Michele Tagliati, MD, on Parkinson’s Research: The Most Promising Avenues for 2025 and Beyond
- Adrienne Keener, MD, on The Impact of Sleep on Parkinson’s Disease: Challenges and Solutions
Thank you to the doctors, exhibitors, event partners, and attendees for making this a wonderful event!
Spotlight on 2024 Sponsors
Each event was made possible by the generous support of our contributing sponsors. We could not have done it without them!
Special thanks to:
Acorda Therapeutics
Looking Ahead to 2025
There’s a lot to look forward to in 2025!
To start, our new website and brand will launch in January. This has been a long and rewarding process, and we’re excited to see how a fresh coat of paint will help us reach new heights, both as an organization and for boosting accessibility to the Parkinson’s community!
Additionally, we plan to expand our Moving Forward series with an exciting lineup of speakers who are focused on helping you live your absolute best life.
The Let’s Talk Parkinson’s series will continue, delivering cutting-edge medical insights from experts in the Parkinson’s field.
We also look forward to introducing several new support groups, including a Spanish language support group, an exciting banner event (Living Artistically fans will like this one!), and new educational programming.
Stay tuned as we firm up the 2025 schedule!
Thank YOU For Making It An Amazing 2024
As we reflect on all of the accomplishments from 2024, we feel immense gratitude for YOU—the people who continue to show up for a cause that’s very close to our hearts.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful close to the year and an exciting start to 2025.
Happy holidays from PCLA!
0 Comments