With a heavy heart…

Kathy Wooten, a dear friend and founding member of the North Florida Parkinsons Awareness Group has passed. Kathy was an inspiration to us all and we all have fond memories of the times we spent with her. I implore you to share your memories in the comment section located at the bottom of this post.

Kathryn Blackburn Wooten went home to be with the Lord on Monday, February 23, 2009, after a long and courageous battle with Multiple System Atrophy. She passed away at home surrounded by family and friends, thanks to the loving care of Big Bend Hospice. Funeral service will be held 11 a.m. EST Thursday, February 26, in Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home, Riggins Road Chapel (850-877-8191), with interment to follow in Woodville Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. EST Wednesday in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32308, or the North Florida Parkinson’s Awareness Group, C/o Steve Sandler, President, NFPAG, 803 Chestwood Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32303. She was born in Waycross, Ga., on April 3, 1949, and moved to Tallahassee at the age of five. She was a class of 1967 graduate of Leon High School and attended Tallahassee Community College. She became a certified legal assistant and certified paralegal. She worked for the Leon County Court and the Second Judicial Court of the State of Florida, retiring after 33 years as judicial assistant. The last 17 years was spent working for the Honorable Judge John E. Crusoe. Kathy was active in Judicial Assistants Association for many years. Kathy was also an active member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She was dearly loved by her sorority sisters who stood by her throughout her illness. Kathy helped in organizing the North Florida Parkinson Association as a charter member and serving as the first vice president.She remained active until the very end. She was also active in the North Florida Parkinson Choir and performed at many of the nursing homes and hospitals in the area and was an active member of the Tallahassee Woman’s Club. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, William R. Wooten Jr., and two daughters, Amy W. Hattaway (and husband Bill) and Melanie W. Dobbs (and husband Jeremy). She is also survived by two grandchildren who were the love of her life, William (Wiley) Hattaway and Grace (Gracie) Marie Dobbs; two brothers, Herbert C. Blackburn (and wife Carolyn) and Theron ( Bud) H. Blackburn (and wife Sharon); one sister, Rebecca Christine Blackburn; very close cousin, Joanne Louise Urban; her loving brothers-in-law, Robert I. Wooten (and wife Wilma) and Brian Carl Wooten (and wife Carol); and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins; and a host of friends.

CD Release From NFPAG Member Steve Sandler!!!

Bongo Honk’s, From Sunrise to Lullabies is finished and
available directly from Steve for $10.  The disc contains 14 original songs.  On this release, Steve is backed by very talented musicians and the recording was produced by Winterstone a world class studio.

With the holidays in full swing, this cd would make a great gift for a child from a parent or from you grandparents out there!!

All interested parties please contact Steve at ssandler7@comcast.net

Congratulations on the release Steve!!

It’s Springtime in North Florida! Perfect for Gardening!!

 

Randy recently informed me of a new Yahoo! Group that is for people who love to garden but may have some physical limitations. The group offers many tips for those who may have physical limitations. So if you are interested click the link below, sign up for the group and enjoy the Spring!!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/limitedgardeners/

National Parkinson Foundation ANNOUNCES its new President and CEO

NPF NAMES NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO 

Miami, Florida, March 19, 2008—The Board of Directors of the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) announced today that Joyce A. Oberdorf has been named President and Chief Executive Officer effective April 1. Ms. Oberdorf was most recently Vice President, Policy, Planning and Communications at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson Research. 

“Ms. Oberdorf is an outstanding choice to help NPF accomplish its strategic goal of remaking the organization to build on our strengths and have an even greater impact on the lives of Parkinson’s patients,” said Paul Oreffice, Chairman of the Board.  

“I look forward to working with Mr. Oreffice, Nat Slewett, Chairman Emeritus and Dr. Bernard Fogel, Dean Emeritus of the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at 

University of Miami, the Board and team at NPF to build on NPF’s strengths, which include its proud history, reach, heightened focus on improving patient care in a holistic fashion, and a demonstrated commitment to change,” Joyce Oberdorf stated.  “Together we will build on the changes already in place to create a new future, focusing on those areas where our mission is most compelling and our impact, the greatest.  In addition, we hope to, by example, increase cooperation, coordination and collaboration with our peers and friends in the Parkinson community. In this way, we aim to create a model for improving the clinical microsystem that serves this and future generations of Parkinson’s patients in the U.S. and around the world.” 

Dr. Fogel, who chaired the search committee said that “Ms. Oberdorf is a proven leader and manager. She has demonstrated a unique ability to develop and set forth a strategic vision.  She has an excellent understanding of the complex issues surrounding Parkinson’s disease, and is highly respected in the community as an individual who truly appreciates the needs and concerns of patients.   Ms. Oberdorf will bring both experience and a fresh perspective to NPF and we look forward to working with her to create and sustain NPF’s future as a best-in-breed nonprofit dedicated to serving Parkinson’s disease patients.” 

At the Michael J Fox Foundation, Ms. Oberdorf worked with the Board and the senior management team to lead strategic task forces on research directions, fundraising and board governance issues. In addition, she was responsible for developing public policy positions, serving as liaison to the Parkinson’s community, and overseeing marketing and communications for the Foundation.   

Before joining the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Ms. Oberdorf was Vice President, Corporate Public Relations at Aetna Inc.  Among her accomplishments at Aetna was helping develop a strategic model of consumer-centric health care for the future.  Before that, she held a variety of positions in banking and financial services for Lehman Brothers, Chemical Bank and Merrill Lynch and in financial public relations for Burson Marsteller. Ms. Oberdorf holds an A.B. degree from Rutgers University, cum laude, and an M.A. degree from Northern Illinois University.  

Founded in 1957 and headquartered in Miami, Fla., NPF has invested over $150 million in fulfillment of its mission to provide care, education, and support services for persons whose lives are affected by Parkinson’s disease.  Currently, NPF’s programs include a network of 58 institutions worldwide that have achieved designation as NPF Centers of Excellence, Care Centers and Outreach Centers, and 46 affiliated Chapters. Additionally, NPF’s signature programs include the Young Onset Parkinson Network Conference, the Community Partners for Parkinson Care outreach initiative, and Allied Team Training for Parkinson (ATTP).  ATTP is a unique interdisciplinary training program which has trained more than 750 health care professionals in the assessment and treatment of Parkinson disease. 

Ms. Oberdorf has emphasized to the Foundation that her focus will be to build on the strengths of those programs through meaningful findings and documented results.  The goal will be to create a model of integrated care for an aging population with a degenerative disease and to produce standards by which those efforts can be measured. 

The Long Awaited NFPAG Choir Music Video!

The following video is NFPAG’s own choir singing an original composition, Reaching For The Sky by NFPAG members  Steve Sandler and Olivia Swedberg.  The video is just below, the lyrics for the song are posted just below the video. 

Just click the play button and enjoy!!

Reaching For The Sky  

By Steve Sandler & Olivia Swedberg

We’ve come to sing for you, we could have stayed at home

Sitting in our easy chairs, silent and alone

If we could dance we would, hey maybe we should try

Though we’re slow and shaky we’re all reaching for the sky

Though we’re slow and shaky we’re all reaching for the sky

Though our faces show no smiles we are all smiling from within

Smiling as we softly croon the melodies we spin

We’ll sing our songs the best we can, we’re glad you came to hear

Our simple tunes and harmonies help us speak loud and clear

We’ve come to sing for you, we could have stayed at home

Sitting in our easy chairs, silent and alone

If we could dance we would, hey maybe we should try

Though we’re slow and shaky we’re all reaching for the sky

Though we’re slow and shaky we’re all reaching for the sky