News
‘Activity Day’ brings Parkinson’s out in the open
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| Gary and Carroll Morris have been pillars for Green Valley/Sahuarita Parkinson’s sufferers. Photo by Mike Touzeau/Special to the Green Valley News |
By Mike Touzeau
Special to the Green Valley News
The Parkinson’s Support Group of Green Valley/Sahuarita will highlight the need to keep fighting at their first “Activity Day” next month.
The event, in line with Parkinson’s Awareness Month, will help fund research and emphasize the importance of patients to stay “mentally stimulated, physically active, and socially connected.”
“Give Parkinson’s the SAC!” — the acronym for stimulated, active, connected — is the theme for the day that will include bike rides and walks on a mile loop course, a basketball throw, card games and puzzles, bingo, and lots of support from families and friends.
Church members will be there and anyone in the community who wants to join in will be welcomed, said organizer Gary Morris, who was diagnosed 10 years ago and, along with wife, Carroll, has been a tireless crusader in promoting the “Stay as strong as you can as long as you can” motto for his fellow Parkinson’s battlers.
“If I can help somebody else along the way then it makes me feel better, too,” said Morris, former president and current first vice-president of the GV/Sahuarita branch of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.
“We want to encourage people who don’t do a lot of exercise to get a chance to do something,” Carroll said.
They’ll have box lunches available for $7, and donations to APDA can be made there or online at www.gvspd.org., which also has details of the Activity Day.
The Green Valley group is considered the most active in Arizona, with 130 people, providing regular monthly social/educational meetings first Fridays at East Social Center, as well as men’s and women’s support groups that also meet third Wednesdays monthly at Friends in Deed to discuss concerns and challenges with the disease.
Caregivers meet at the same time to share their experiences and support each other’s efforts.
“Exercise is the first defense against Parkinson’s,” Carroll pointed out as she described the ongoing Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. exercise class at Valley Presbyterian.
A grant from Country Fair White Elephant funds most of their activities here.
Her husband is among a few who discovered recumbent bicycles can help get them out in the sunshine for much-needed exercise without the risk of falling, so he expects some to ride and others to walk as much as they can on the loop he laid out near the church.
If you go
What: “Activity Day,” part of Parkinson’s Awareness Month
When: 9 a.m. to noon, April 22
Where: Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol
Participants: Call the Morrises to register: 207-2475
The Parkinson’s Support Group of Green Valley/Sahuarita will highlight the need to keep fighting at their first “Activity Day” next month.
The event, in line with Parkinson’s Awareness Month, will help fund research and emphasize the importance of patients to stay “mentally stimulated, physically active, and socially connected.”
“Give Parkinson’s the SAC!” — the acronym for stimulated, active, connected — is the theme for the day that will include bike rides and walks on a mile loop course, a basketball throw, card games and puzzles, bingo, and lots of support from families and friends.
Church members will be there and anyone in the community who wants to join in will be welcomed, said organizer Gary Morris, who was diagnosed 10 years ago and, along with wife, Carroll, has been a tireless crusader in promoting the “Stay as strong as you can as long as you can” motto for his fellow Parkinson’s battlers.
“If I can help somebody else along the way then it makes me feel better, too,” said Morris, former president and current first vice-president of the GV/Sahuarita branch of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.
“We want to encourage people who don’t do a lot of exercise to get a chance to do something,” Carroll said.
They’ll have box lunches available for $7, and donations to APDA can be made there or online at www.gvspd.org., which also has details of the Activity Day.
The Green Valley group is considered the most active in Arizona, with 130 people, providing regular monthly social/educational meetings first Fridays at East Social Center, as well as men’s and women’s support groups that also meet third Wednesdays monthly at Friends in Deed to discuss concerns and challenges with the disease.
Caregivers meet at the same time to share their experiences and support each other’s efforts.
“Exercise is the first defense against Parkinson’s,” Carroll pointed out as she described the ongoing Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. exercise class at Valley Presbyterian.
A grant from Country Fair White Elephant funds most of their activities here.
Her husband is among a few who discovered recumbent bicycles can help get them out in the sunshine for much-needed exercise without the risk of falling, so he expects some to ride and others to walk as much as they can on the loop he laid out near the church.
If you go
What: “Activity Day,” part of Parkinson’s Awareness Month
When: 9 a.m. to noon, April 22
Where: Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol
Participants: Call the Morrises to register: 207-2475
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