The 10th annual Parkinson's Unity Walk, held under sunny April skies in New York City's Central Park drew an estimated crowd of over 7,000 people and raised thousands of dollars for Parkinson's research.

The crowd in the annual Parkinson's Unity Walk has been growing since 1994, when Margot Zobel founded the Walk to raise awareness of Parkinson's disease and funds for Parkinson's research. "There were only 200 people walking that day— but we felt we were making history. We raised $16,000, and, as we had pledged, every penny was turned over to research."

The Unity Walk began in 1994 with 200 walkers and has continued to build upon the success of each previous year, growing the crowd of participants, Parkinson's awareness, and funds for research. It is currently the largest annual event for Parkinson's disease. And, as pledged since the inception of the Walk, every penny raised continues to go directly to Parkinson's research.

Prior to the walk, the crowd gathered in the stage area to listen to a panel of speakers. Martin Tuchman, Chairman of the Unity Walk, began the program by reading from a proclamation from Mayor Michael Bloomberg declaring it Parkinson's Unity Walk Day. Evan Stern, President, and Margot Zobel, Founder of the Walk, gave inspiring speeches.

The third annual MIRAPEX Victories Research Award was presented to Dr. Yaakov Stern, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology and member of the Taub Institute at Columbia University for his accomplishments in Parkinson's disease non-motor symptomatology research. The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney, Founder and Chair of The Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease, and Amy Comstock, Executive Director of the Parkinson's Action Network, both gave passionate speeches interrupted several times by applause.

The Alan Bonander Humanitarian Award was presented to Murray Charters of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for his work in maintaining a personal website dedicated to "Parkinson's World Awareness" and aptly titled "Parkinson's Resources on the WWWeb."

Michael J. Fox made a surprise appearance, addressing the crowd and bringing a thunderous round of applause. Michael, Margot, and Ken Aidekman jointly cut the ribbon to mark the start of the 2004 Unity Walk. The Persuasions sang the National Anthem, and the Walk began.

All funds raised from the Walk are designated for research and will be distributed among the major U.S. Parkinson's disease foundations, including the American Parkinson Disease Association, the National Parkinson Foundation, The Parkinson Alliance, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, the Parkinson's Institute, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and the Parkinson's Action Network.