Parkinson's Disease is very personal to us at Wilkins Media Company. Our company's Chairman, Bill Wilkins, was diagnosed with PD two years ago. Since then, he's been very active on a national basis with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and locally with the Georgia Chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association. In the past year, we've been able to secure several million dollars of public service advertising space on behalf of these organizations through Mr. Wilkins' longtime contacts and personal friends in the out-of-home media advertising industry.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder characterized by symptoms that typically progress from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation. PD currently affects 5 MILLION people worldwide, and there will be 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States this year alone. While the average age of onset is 60, an estimated 5-10% of people with PD experience "young onset" - at age 40 or younger. There is no known cure for Parkinson's Disease. Currently available treatments temporarily mask symptoms while the disease continues to get worse.

Actor Michael J. Fox publicly disclosed his own diagnosis of young-onset PD in 1998, though he had lived with the disease since 1991. He established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) in 2000, shortly after announcing his retirement from the ABC television show Spin City.

The MJFF is committed to doing whatever it takes to speed up the development of critically needed new treatments for patients. As the largest nonprofit funder of PD research worldwide, MJFF works aggressively every day to identify and prioritize scientific solutions that hold promise to improve patients quality of life. And the efficiency of the organization is outstanding; in the years 2000-2006, 84% of all contributions were allocated to research-related activity. 12.8% went back into fundraising efforts, and a mere 3.2% went towards operating expenses. In 2007, MJFF funded $25.2 million dollars worth of research on PD.

Scientists believe that, with proper research funding, a cure for Parkinson's disease is within reach. The opportunity for therapeutic breakthroughs has never been greater and advances in Parkinson's research are likely to significantly contribute to the understanding of other devastating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, ALS and multiple sclerosis.

The TEAM FOX grassroots community fundraising campaign was created in 2005 in order to give everyone a role to play in the victory against Parkinson's. Wilkins Media Company is committed to playing an important role in this fight.

100% of the net proceeds from the first annual Polo for Parkinson's event will go to Team Fox and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. You can purchase tickets directly on this website, or make a donation if you'd like to participate but will be unable to attend. Whatever you contribute, know that your generosity takes us one step closer to finding a cure.

Thanks in advance, from all of us at Wilkins Media Company!