2022 has been a year of new ideas, initiatives, and amazing accomplishments! Despite the challenges of operating during the pandemic earlier in the year, PCLA and the Parkinson’s community have found ways to connect, support, and inspire.
Let’s revisit the highlights from 2022 as we near the year’s end.
New Support Group Topics
Our Parkinson’s support groups are one of the primary ways we connect with and support our community. In 2022, our groups expanded to include new weekly groups, including:
- Care Partner Connection
- Men with Parkinson’s Support Group
- An expanded schedule for our women’s group
Our “Sharing Our Strength” group with Nessa Weinman returned to in-person meetings this year. Our other groups remain virtual to serve a larger geographic area.
Let’s Talk Parkinson’s Continues to Grow
Let’s Talk Parkinson’s, our signature education program, showcased 16 programs in 2022 covering:
- PD treatment
- Exercise
- Gut issues in Parkinson’s
- Research and genetics
- Resources for care partners
- And so much more
Over 2,700 people registered for these events, and the videos have received over 20,000 YouTube views! It’s empowering to see so many people learning from the content led by thought leaders in the PD community. Here are the top five Let’s Talk Parkinson’s programs from 2022:
- What’s New in Parkinson’s Treatment?
- Q&A: The Latest in PD Research 2022
- Parkinson’s and the Gut: Dealing with GI issues
- I Have Parkinson’s – Can I Still Drive?
- Women with Parkinson’s: A Panel Discussion
The Rise of PCLA on YouTube
Because of popular and helpful content like Let’s Talk Parkinson’s, PCLA has gained a lot of traction on our YouTube channel. We now have 814 subscribers with over 43K lifetime views across 77 videos. Our channel has exponentially gained traffic over the last year, allowing us to reach and support more people in the PD community.
Living Artistically with Parkinson’s Makes Waves
With a mission of promoting PD art, advocacy, and advancement, Living Artistically with Parkinson’s 2022 was the biggest celebration of our signature program yet. Take a look at the highlights honoring our PD artists this year:
- Published a book of poetry: Living Artistically: The Poetry of Parkinson’s
- Held a virtual poetry reading event in April in celebration of both Parkinson’s Awareness Month and National Poetry month
- Hosted our annual exhibition of work by artists in the PD community
- Published an Art Exhibition & Sale Catalog
- Partnered with Lineage Performing Arts Center to present a screening of two powerful documentaries about the performing arts and the PD community
- Published a blog on Understanding Art Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
Hispanic Community Programs Grow
Our programs for the Hispanic community grew this year. With support from the Parkinson’s Foundation, we presented our first Spanish language Parkinson’s education conference, Parkinson: La vida más allá de lo básico. Plus, we added a monthly group in Spanish just for caregivers to our monthly Spanish-language support group for all.
“Sunday in the Park” (First In-person Event Since 2019)
“Sunday in the Park” with PCLA was a huge success! This was our first in-person meetup since 2019, so the celebration of love and support for the Parkinson’s community was enthralling!
It seemed like everyone couldn’t get enough of the popsicles, which ranged from numerous unique flavors, from guava to horchata. People enjoyed the treats as they shared their experiences with Parkinson’s and suggestions on how to cope.
Many approached our booth to learn how they could be more involved with PCLA. Others were excited to discover that PCLA offers events and support groups nearly every day, including fitness classes, stretching classes, dance classes, and support groups.
Incredible Sponsors
2022 was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, including:
❤️ You Can Make an Impact, Too!
The word philanthropy means “love of humanity.” At its core, philanthropy is about showing concern for the well-being of others and taking action to make a positive difference in the world.
And it’s something that anyone can do, regardless of income or social status. Of course, donating money is just one way to make a difference. But you can also volunteer your time, talents, or items. You can also advocate for change by raising awareness about important issues.
Learn more about our year-end campaign or get in touch to find out how you can contribute to the advancement and advocacy for Parkinson’s with PCLA.
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