Hope on the Field Gala

I'm very excited to talk about this. The Michigan Parkinson's Foundation is hosting its Hope on the Field Gala at Ford Field. I will be emceeing that event. Joining me this morning with all the details, CEO of the Michigan Parkinson's Foundation, Kristen Rossi. Before we talk about the event, do you have any advice for me for Friday night next week? Just have fun. It's a celebration. You know, so much of this disease of Parkinson's can be dark and it can be difficult. It's not difficult for people, but this is a night of celebration. We have a wonderful community, so just have fun with it. And talk to me about, we have until the end of this week to be a part of it, right? Yes, so the gala is on Friday, November 13th, so you have until this Friday to register. It's important. Ford Field. I mean, what better venue to do this than that? How great is that? It's so cool to see the stands empty in a way because it's something that people don't get to see that often. You get to see the whole field, the stands, a big Ford Field sign, get your picture. Yeah. How impactful is this night on everything that you as an organization do throughout the year to help so many people? Yeah. Well, like I said, it's a celebration, but it's also how we raise funds. To sustain all year long. So this event really helps to fund our programs and services, which are across four pillars of support. It's community with our support groups and our mentorship. It's exercise. We have 55 exercise classes per week. It's education. Your friend Julia Wall does a great job. Oh, I love you. I got to give Julia a shout out. I love Julia. She's the best. And then it's also respite. So we do financial assistance. Thank you so much for joining us. Absolutely. And we're celebrating two groups this month. It's National Family Caregivers Month and it's also Veterans Day next week. And those are two populations that we really focus on and really try to support in a meaningful way. Kristen, how much need is out there? How many people are out there that need support right now today? Yeah, well, they say 35,000 people in Michigan have Parkinson's disease. We think that's actually a pretty low number. So it's much more than that, and it's not only just one person, it's families that are impacted by this disease, and it's the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, so it even outpaces Alzheimer's. And you talk about a community event like the one we'll have next Friday at Ford Field. The impact psychologically that can have on being together, being among peers and groups and family members alike, that support, I imagine, goes a long way. Absolutely. It's all about connection. It's all about community. We really want to send the message that you're not alone with Parkinson's disease. Call us. We can help. We can put you in touch with a whole community of people who are here and ready to support you. If somebody is watching this right now that needs a little bit of help, a little bit of guidance, what would you suggest they do? I would tell them to call us. You can find all of our information at parkinsonsmi.org. Our phone numbers, the links to this event. And much more. There's the website on your screen right there. I will be out there. I'm going to try to be as entertaining as I possibly can. So we invite everybody out, Ford Field, next Friday night. You have until the end of this week to be a part of it, parkinsonsmi.org. Kristen, thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ryan. We'll see you next Friday.