Edna Woods with Michael J. Fox and her son Chris at the 2009 Team Fox MVP Awards Dinner.
Team Fox member and New England Parkinson’s Ride founder Edna Woods has been nominated as a Safeco Insurance Community Hero. Having already been awarded $5,000 for her nomination, Edna is now in the running for an additional $10,000, but she needs your help!
At the age of 79, Edna Woods has been a force of inspiration in her community, especially when it comes to raising critical funds and awareness in support of Parkinson’s research. Having earned herself the title of “Ride Director” for the New England Parkinson’s Ride, she has played a crucial role in helping to raise nearly $800,000 for Team Fox. And now, through the “Safeco Community Hero Content”, Edna has the opportunity to win an additional $10,000 thus allowing the 2013 New England Parkinson’s Ride to surpass their fundraising goal of $250,000!
To vote, go to Safeco.com or the Safeco Insurance Facebook Page and click the “Community Hero” link. If you’re 13 or older, you can vote once every 24 hours until 10 a.m. PST on November 4. Just one easy click each day, and your support will help the New England Parkinson’s Ride bring The Michael J. Fox Foundation one step closer to a cure.
While the Safeco Community Hero Award celebrates Edna Woods for her vital work in Merrimack, it wouldn’t have been possible without her son, and fellow Team Fox member, Chris Woods who submitted Edna’s nomination. Chris, who is an avid cyclist, was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 2006 at the age of 41. Upon receipt of his diagnosis, the Woods family began to look for a cycling event to benefit Parkinson’s and after not having much luck, decided to start their own in 2008. Each year the ride has grown significantly, hosting over 500 riders this past September.
As Edna herself details, “The best thing that has come from hosting the ride over the past six years is the wonderful people we have met: people with PD, their families, friends and supporters. The community has welcomed us with open arms and there is always the hope that if we raise enough money, it will be the year that enables research to find a cure! Our son Chris has also been such an inspiration to all the people he meets. After seven and a half years with Parkinson’s, he is still completing our [longest distance] 100-mile ride; we are so proud.”
To learn more about the New England Parkinson’s Ride’s history and event details, visit their event site HERE.