Geneva concert to help Parkinson's research
Head out to Tanna Farms in Geneva this Saturday and you'll be treated to music, food and a chance to be part of finding a cure for Parkinson's disease.
The second annual Concert for a Cure is the second of two fundraising events this year qorganized by the Paul Ruby Foundation to help fund Parkinson's research. The first, a golf outing held in August, raised $30,000.
"It can make a difference," said Ruby, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2006. "Of all the neurological diseases, Parkinson's is the most likely to find a cure in the not to distant future."
Ruby, who has been general manager at The Herrington Inn and Spa since 1999, organized the foundation in 2007 after his diagnosis. Last year, the group's fundraising efforts netted $70,000 and benefited the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Ruby and his wife were honored as the largest team Fox contributors in the country at a dinner in May with Fox.
This year, the foundation is using proceeds from the golf outing and the concert to benefit specific research projects at the Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders Center at Northwestern University.
"We'll be able to hand pick what research project our funds go to fund," said Ruby, 45, of Geneva. "It will be exciting to be directly connected to a project."
Personally, Ruby says he is doing better - thanks in part to a new medication. Researchers are close to making an announcement about the drug he is taking and how it seems to slow the progression of the disease, he said.
"I'm able to do things now that I wasn't doing two years ago," he said. He noted that he has been able to golf and that he doesn't seem to tire as quickly as before.
Ruby's doctor from Northwestern will be on hand Saturday to talk about some of the projects money from the concert could help fund. The foundation's board will decide which projects will be funded at a later date.
"(Paul) always says somebody's money is going to cure Parkinson's disease, why not think it can be the dollars from one of our events," said Dawn Vogelsberg, a registered nurse and executive director of the Paul Ruby Foundation.
Saturday's Concert for a Cure opens at 4:30 p.m. and features headliner Robbie Fulks, a national recording artist whose music includes alternative country rock, jazz and bluegrass.
Other bands that will be performing include HOSS, whose music is described as a blend of rock, Americana, jam band and punk; Noah Gabriel, a singer/songwriter from Aurora and The Gaddis Girls, a duo from Springfield whose father also has Parkinson's disease.
"We're trying to make sure we have something for everyone," Vogelsberg said.
The concert is being produced by Rank Entertainment and Richard Milne, from WXRT. Lisa Dent, co-host of US 99's morning show, will emcee the concert.
Parkinson's disease details
•Parkinson's is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that involves the death or impairment of vital nerve cells (neurons) in an area of the midbrain called the substantia nigra, which normally produces the chemical dopamine.
•When dopamine is missing, messages that enable the body to move smoothly and with coordination cannot travel across the nerve connections in the brain.
•Everyone loses dopamine as they grow older. With Parkinson's, the rate of loss is greater.
•More than 1 million people in the United States have Parkinson's disease, making it the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States after Alzheimer's disease.
•Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder associated with aging, affecting a growing segment of the population above the age of 55.
•Parkinson's affects about 1 in 100 Americans over the age of 60, with the average age of onset at 60. However, 5% - 10% of those diagnosed with Parkinson's are less than age 40.
•Parkinson's affects men and women about equally, with a slight predominance in males.
•Parkinson's crosses social, ethnic, economic, and geographic boundaries.
•Some people in the early stages assume that their symptoms are "normal aging." Early symptoms are often subtle and sometimes fleeting.
Paul Ruby Foundation/Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Northwestern Medical Cener
Concert for a Cure
When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6th. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Tanna Farms Golf Club, 39W808 Hughes Road, Geneva
Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for children. Tickets are available at Park Place Interiors, Kiss the Sky and Mill Creek Market all in Geneva. Tickets also can be ordered online at www.paulrubyfoundation.org.
For more information: Call (630)232-1122; www.paulrubyfoundation.org
Other helpful hints: Concert goers can bring their own chairs and blankets. Event also includes a silent auction.