20 Fox Focus | Community
Teeing Off with a Fox Family Favorite
Phyllis Fox , second from left , and Michael J . Fox with Me-n-Ed ’ s owners , left to right , Brook Scott , Cris Florian , Melody Hewitt and Rich Florian , at the 2017 tournament .
Me-n-Ed ’ s Pizza Parlor in Michael J . Fox ’ s hometown of Burnaby , British Columbia is famously known as his favorite place to grab a slice .
But Cris and Rich Florian , wife and husband who own that Me-n-Ed ’ s location and four others , have done much more for their community than provide the best pizza around . They ’ ve also helped raise critical funds for Parkinson ’ s research through their annual golf tournament , supported for years by one especially enthusiastic volunteer : Michael ’ s mother , Phyllis Fox .
After Phyllis passed away in September 2022 , the Florians decided to pay tribute to her at this year ’ s tournament . The Me-n-Ed ’ s 14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament for Parkinson ’ s in July raised the most ever in a single year , $ 42,000 , and featured a special video tribute dedicated to Phyllis . A $ 10,000 check from the Burnaby Firefighters Organization , made in Phyllis ’ s memory , contributed to the record 2023 total .
“ We invited Phyllis to volunteer at our first tournament in 2008 and she quickly said ‘ yes ’,” recalls Cris . “ When it started pouring rain on the day of the event , we didn ’ t think we ’ d see her . Yet there she was in her raincoat at the putting hole , passing out cookies and giving advice on how the ball was going to roll .”
That rainy inaugural event attracted 70 golfers . Since then , many hundreds of golfers , sponsors , volunteers , community members and Me-n-Ed ’ s suppliers have joined Phyllis and the Florians on the green — and at a dinner and auction immediately following the tournament — raising exponentially more for PD research with each passing year .
“ Me-n-Ed ’ s golf outing is a warm hug for the community ,” says Michele Golombuski , MJFF ’ s chief development officer , of the tournament that features delightful surprises across 18 holes , from pizza slices to wine and cheese tastings . “ People keep returning to the event because of the warm , fun and familylike atmosphere Cris and Rich have created alongside Phyllis and many others .”