AIM: To raise awareness and funding for Ottawa's Parkinson's Research Consortium.

SUMMARY: Elementary school students at various schools will participate in a series of exercise stations, designed to highlight four common immobilities associated with Parkinson's disease. These include strength, balance, flexibility and speed. Each class will participate for a 15-minute period before they "Pass the Baton" to the next class, who will continue the momentum. This school-wide activity will also include an assembly in which students will meet:

  • Scientists and graduate students from the Parkinson's Research Consortium
  • Shelby Hayter, a parent of three Berrigan students who was recently diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's

Students at the assembly will learn about Parkinson's disease in an upbeat fashion. They will also learn that their exercise efforts will support the "team approach" to finding a cure. Their participation in this activity will inspire others, and allow them to feel proud to "move for those who can't."

ABOUT SHELBY HAYTER: In April 2005, Shelby Hayter, a newly-diagnosed 40-year-old mother of three, spoke about her life-long love of running and how she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease just six weeks earlier. Her story is unique because she qualified and ran in the Boston Marathon with her sister on April 18, 2005. Friends and supporters of Parkinson's research raised more than $30,000 for Shelby's run. Parkinson Society Ottawa directed the funds to the Parksinson's Research Consortium. On the anniversary of this event, Shelby suggested bridging the gap between adults and children. "Shelby is an inspiration to other Parkinson's patients and to our researchers," said Dr. Grimes, Director of the Parkinson's Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital. "When she came to us with her idea of Passing the Baton, we were humbled and intrigued. We look forward to working with her on this special event."

Read more about Shelby Hayter in "Her own marathon of hope", published in the National Post in 2005.

ABOUT OTTAWA'S PARKINSON'S RESEARCH CONSORTIUM: The Parkinson Research Consortium (PRC) is a joint initiative of the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital through the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. The consortium's 18 researchers, whose specialties have various applications to Parkinson's research, are led by Parkinson's research specialists Dr. David Park and Dr. David Grimes. "We believe the PRC will allow us to help improve patient care, conduct more integrated research into Parkinson's disease, and establish Ottawa as a national leader in this important area of neurological research," said Dr. Park at the PRC launch in 2004. Parkinson's disease affects more than 100,000 Canadians.

Dr. David Park, PhD, is an Associate Professor of neuroscience at the University of Ottawa and Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. His research focuses on the mechanisms of neuronal death, particularly as they relate to models of Parkinson's disease and stroke. He obtained his PhD in biochemistry from Rutgers University in the United States and subsequently received post-doctoral training at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Park has published in high impact scientific journals and has been funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and through awards such as Premier's Research Excellence Award, the University of Ottawa's Young Researcher of the Year award, and the Glaxo Wellcome Award. In 2005, he won Researcher of the Year at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. David Grimes, MD, FRCPC, is the Director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital. He is an Associate Professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa and an Associate Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. As a basic scientist, he explores the role of genes that cause or contribute to the development of abnormal movements. He is currently trying to identify a novel gene mutation for Parkinson's disease for the inherited myoclonus dystonia. His major clinical interests are diagnosing and treating a wide variety of movement disorders. He conducts clinical trials in Parkinson's disease and dystonia, exploring novel treatment options. Dr Grimes is the co-author of Parkinson's: One Step at a Time, along with his father, the late Dr. J. David Grimes.