This is Why We Ride The Waves

One of my favorite Power for Parkinson’s classes takes place in a charming little public library, out in Lakeway – a picturesque town on the shore of Lake Travis, west of Austin. The group that assembles there every Tuesday is tight-knit, friendly, and ever allegiant to Polly Caprio, a PFP fitness instructor with an effervescent personality and an adorable dog named Cooper who is famous on our YouTube channel.

When the PFP staff was out in Lakeway this week, throwing a tiki party for the ongoing Ride The Waves celebration, our founding director Dr. Nina Mosier said something I found interesting: that many Parkinson’s support services take the summer off and, instead, PFP leans into it – not only maintaining our regularly scheduled classes, but also hosting special programming like our Olympic-themed workouts and our signature summer parties. It got me thinking about how greatness is not about what you achieve on any given day, but the consistency of what you do.

As such, Power For Parkinson’s takes no time off in the dog days of summer. That extends beyond our staff, to the many volunteers who spend their free time making the classes welcoming and safe, to our star instructors who possess unceasing motivation, and to our participants who consistently show up and put in the effort to maintain and improve their physical health. Collectively, this community keeps the candle burning year round. That’s something I’m proud of.

Throughout August’s Ride the Waves activities, we’ve loved sharing smiles with our friends as we played in-class games like magnet fishing, balloon volleyball, and the arcane sport known as Brazilian Beach Soccer. The celebrations have hinged on the holy trinity: good people, good vibes, and good food (regarding the latter, we’d like to thank Eldorado Cafe and H-E-B for their generous donations). I believe PFP has a team in place with a special knack for producing memorable events for our participants in Central Texas.

Ride the Waves is also an important fundraising initiative for our small nonprofit. This year, we set a lofty $40,000 goal and we’re pleased to say we’ve surpassed it. Thank you to everyone who has donated: the local participants, the YouTube viewers from around the globe, the friends and families of folks in our classes, and those who donate in the memory of beloved members of our community who’ve passed away.

A huge part of our fundraising has been two $10,000 matches offered by PFP participants: Joe Defilippi and also the Buena Vista Foundation who boosted our final tally to $60,000!

Along with helping us maintain and improve our local in-person classes. The funds raised through Ride The Waves will help support the continued development of Power For Parkinson’s YouTube programming. Already the leading Parkinson’s fitness channel online, PFP will continue to broaden our global reach, offering free symptom-focused exercise to a global audience.

For us, it’s thrilling to have daily engagement online with folks from India and Brazil and Europe who are working out with the same instructors who make our classes in Central Texas so special. Austin has traditionally had outsized influence on the wider world, through music and film and nationally franchised businesses like Whole Foods and the Alamo Drafthouse – because the culture has a penchant for vision. I believe that PFP’s vision of helping people with Parkinson’s Disease through free specialized fitness classes is yet another Austin export that can have a profound effect on the world. 

We thank you for being part of it.