MnDRIVE Brain Conditions faculty and staff recently joined hundreds of community members, advocates, caregivers, researchers, and families for the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day Twin Cities event held on May 2 at the Hilde Performance Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. The annual event celebrated movement, community connection, and hope for those impacted by Parkinson’s disease. Beautiful weather helped make the day even more memorable, creating the perfect setting for participants to gather, walk, and connect with one another.
The event featured an impressive turnout this year, bringing together participants from across the Twin Cities area to support Parkinson’s research, education, and care initiatives. Moving Day is the Parkinson’s Foundation’s signature fundraising walk and continues to serve as an important opportunity to raise awareness while strengthening community support for individuals and families living with Parkinson’s disease.
Members of the MnDRIVE Brain Conditions team staffed a booth throughout the event, where they had the opportunity to engage with attendees and share information about ongoing research initiatives. DBS Clinical Research Coordinator, Selam Woldegerima and Eugenia from Jing Wang's lab staffed a table with iPads behind the booth and successfully enrolled the first participants in the new Movement Disorders Registry for the MnDRIVE Brain Conditions DBS Research Core. The registry aims to help connect individuals with research opportunities and advance future discoveries in movement disorders research.
In addition to the new registry enrollments, DBS Clinical Research Project Manager, Kaylee Lymon, Johanna, and other team members connected with dozens of attendees who provided their contact information to receive the registry sign-up link at a later time. Even more individuals expressed interest in staying connected through the Parkinson's Pulse newsletter mailing list, highlighting strong community enthusiasm for research engagement and future opportunities.
The booth also featured coffee and puppy dog tails generously brought by Kaylee Lymon, which quickly became a favorite stop for attendees throughout the morning. In fact, after the team briefly stepped away for a group photo, the remaining treats disappeared almost immediately as event attendees enthusiastically gathered around the unguarded booth.
Beyond the research and outreach activities, the event served as a meaningful reminder of the importance of collaboration between researchers, clinicians, advocates, and community organizations working together to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease. Exercise and movement continue to play an important role in Parkinson’s care and symptom management, making events like Moving Day both empowering and inspiring for participants of all ages and abilities.
MnDRIVE Brain Conditions is proud to support community-centered events that foster connection, increase awareness, and advance conversations around neurological disorders and brain health research. We are grateful to the Parkinson’s Foundation for organizing another successful Moving Day Twin Cities event and look forward to continued partnerships supporting the Parkinson’s community throughout Minnesota and beyond.
