Community
Community
FROM FICTION
TO REALITY:
POWER LACES
BRING A CURE
ONE STEP CLOSER
A Hole-in-One for Parkinson’s Research
Breaking PARkinson’s, The Michael
J. Fox Foundation’s annual golf
outing, teed off this July at Winged
Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck,
New York. Chaired by Board
members Ed Kalikow, Ed Levy,
Andy O’Brien, Bonnie Strauss and
Peter Zaffino, this year’s event
brought in a record-breaking $1
million to fund MJFF’s programs.
by KAT McCARRICK
Above: Co-chairs Andy O’Brien, Bonnie Strauss,
Ed Kalikow and Michael J. Fox
Photos by Studio 1923
Upper left: John Butala, Board member
Sonny Whelen, Christine Whelen and
Tom Milliot
Bridget Ray, Louis Ray, MJFF Co-Founder Debi Brooks and Jeff Brooks
Golfers take a swing on the driving range.
NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 1, YOU CAN
FOX IT FORWARD
Every dollar raised is matched up to $1 million to help us cure Parkinson’s.
Visit michaeljfox.org to learn more.
As this newsletter was going to
press, Nike unveiled its 2016 Nike
Mag sneakers — the culmination
of three decades of athletic shoe
design and technical innovation,
matched with a commitment to
furthering the mission of The
Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF).
In October 2015, Nike CEO Mark Parker
personally delivered the first fully-functioning
version of the futuristic sneaker to Michael’s door.
In a video garnering over 4.2 million online views,
he showed off the shoe’s newest, most advanced
feature: self-lacing technology. Members of
the Parkinson’s community, lovers of the Nike
brand and sneaker fanatics immediately took
to social media to marvel at the shoe and join
the conversation about the critical need for a
Parkinson’s cure.
The flurry of interest around the iconic shoes has
also heightened understanding of the urgent need
for new and better treatments for Parkinson’s,
and raised millions of dollars — and counting — to
date to support a shared vision of a future without
Parkinson’s.
Michael J. Fox has been called “the first, most
celebrated wearer of the Nike Mag.” With each
reinvention of the shoe, Nike has partnered
with Michael and the Foundation to debut
the sneaker while simultaneously supporting
Parkinson’s research. In 2011, he displayed a pair
while appearing on “The Late Show with David
Letterman.” This kicked off a global auction of
1,500 pairs on eBay, generating more than $4.7
million for MJFF’s research efforts. The auction
coincided with the two-year, $50-million Brin
Wojcicki Challenge, through which all donations
were matched, doubling the proceeds to total more
than $9.4 million.
But the best was yet to come: almost 100 pairs of the
famed shoes were made available in early October
through a worldwide draw and auctions across
the globe. Fans purchased tickets (at the price of
$10 each) for the chance to take home their own
pair of self-lacing 2016 Nike Mags. The week-long
campaign aimed to introduce thousands more to the
crucial need for better PD treatments, and raised
critical funds to fuel the risk-takers and problemsolvers at MJFF in driving progress toward a cure.
Whether or not you’ve snagged a pair by the time
this lands in your mailbox, you can join in the fun at
michaeljfox.org/nike2016.
16
17
The Fox Focus
Fall/Winter 2016