24 Fox Focus | Community
From the Court to a Cure:
Playing Pickleball for Parkinson’ s
By Jess Cavallaro
Nancy Munson rallied her community to support PD research through PIckleball 4 Parkinson’ s. Nancy( second from left) is pictured with Maci Hanson, husband Larry, and daughter Marjorie.
NANCY MUNSON, 73, never expected a webinar to change her life, but in 2022, that’ s exactly what happened. Inspiration struck as she listened to a Michael J. Fox Foundation( MJFF) webinar— The Power of Women in Philanthropy, hosted by MJFF’ s CEO Debi Brooks. Her husband Larry, 83, had been living with Parkinson’ s disease( PD) since 2014, and in 2021, her daughter Marjorie, 35, began working at MJFF. Nancy saw an opportunity to turn her determination into action. The answer? Pickleball.
With its mix of fun, accessibility and massive popularity, pickleball— a paddle sport that blends tennis, badminton and ping pong— was the perfect way to bring people together for a cause. Nancy created Pickleball 4 Parkinson’ s( P4P) in 2023 to harness that enthusiasm, rallying her 55 + active adult community in Walnut Creek, California, in support of PD research through Team Fox, MJFF’ s grassroots fundraising program.
“ Our retirement community has been an ideal location for our P4P fundraiser,” Nancy said, noting that people with Parkinson’ s often live in communities like theirs because of the easy access and variety of support services.“ P4P has helped raise awareness— not just about the disease itself, but about how many lives it touches.”
Nancy and her team hosted the inaugural P4P tournament in June 2022. What started as a grassroots effort quickly turned into something much bigger. It attracted more than 400 attendees and raised $ 56,000— more than triple the $ 15,000 goal and far exceeding expectations. In 2024, momentum around P4P continued, drawing 600 attendees and raising $ 82,000. And because 100 percent of proceeds raised for Team Fox go directly to research, every dollar served up progress toward a cure.
As P4P expands, so does its impact. With a growing network of fundraisers, corporate matching gifts and dedicated national and local sponsors, the event continues to raise critical awareness and support for Parkinson’ s research. Now in its third year, the tournament has become a staple in the community.
In partnership with Team Fox, P4P is also working to build connections with key players in the sport— manufacturers, suppliers, professional associations and teams— as well as public figures in entertainment, sports and tech.
“ As my husband’ s full-time care partner, I have seen firsthand how debilitating Parkinson’ s is, and how much my husband’ s quality of life continues to decline,” Nancy said.“ P4P gives me a way to focus my time and energy on finding a cure.”