The Power of Community

On October 5th, CAP had its 4th bi-annual Gala event at the Aqua Turf in Southington, CT with live music, dinner, and a silent auction. The monies raised from the Gala will support the Parkinson’s Center of Connecticut. It was a tremendous evening of optimism and friendship. The night was overflowing with laughter, tears, and hope for the future of those battling Parkinson's. The ball room was full of friends, family, and members of the insurance, research, medical, and pharmaceutical communities. These professionals are some of the most caring and talented in the country. This event would not be possible without the generous support of the entire Connecticut PD community.  It's been said it takes a Village. CAP is truly blessed with a “village” that is working together to help those battling PD. The care, passion, and dedication of everyone who attended was abundantly evident on this night. When you bring a community together, great things can happen.

To me, The Parkinson’s Center of Connecticut is a symbol that the CAP PD community in not giving up. We are not giving into the disease.  Our hope at CAP is to keep our PWP community as healthy as possible today, while  also supporting research to find a Cure  for tomorrow. If you are a PWP, we want to let you know that you do not have to fight PD alone.  We are here to help you along the way. One step at a time.

Special Note 

CAP's CureNow: PD initiative continues in full swing. Ed Rendell, two-term Governor of Pennsylvania, visited MIT recently, along with members of our team, to learn more about the project. He came away very impressed with the potential for real changes in the direction of PD research. He has agreed to become a spokesperson.  We are currently engaging with other well-known, high profile individuals as well. Updates will follow as our partnership with them solidify.  Please keep an eye out for updates on the project.  We are trying to build a national fundraising campaign starting right here in CT.

The CureNow: PD initiative was born out of the frustration of the pace of PD research.  We believe existing research deserves our support, but we also believe funding out of the box, cutting edge research is imperative.  The Parkinson’s Research Initiative at MIT is just that. I will continue to keep you all posted on the status of this initiative as we move forward.  If you have questions or want to join the CureNow Committee, please contact me.

Warm Regards,

Karl C. Hespeler
Chairman 
860-490-0251
Karl@Parkinsonsct.org