Community
THE KIDS ARE
ALL RIGHT: YOUNG
TEAM FOX MEMBERS
GET CREATIVE FOR
A CURE
Emi Silverstein (top, third from left) with friends at her
birthday bash
by KAT McCARRICK
There’s no age minimum (or limit) to join
Team Fox, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s
grassroots fundraising arm. With 100 percent
of Team Fox proceeds going to MJFF’s
programs to speed a cure for Parkinson’s,
children and teens can take on leadership
roles while making a real difference for the
PD community.
The creativity of Team Fox members is
boundless and young fundraisers are no
exception when it comes to engaging their
friends, families and communities. While
some youth organize or take part in large-
scale events such as film festivals and piano
concerts, others tackle smaller but no less
powerful events, such as field days, penny
wars and even spelling bees. And many
existing Team Fox events, from Bowl-a-Thons
to the annual New England Parkinson’s Ride,
welcome youth participants.
Some young fundraisers dedicate celebratory
milestones, such as a mitzvah or birthday, to
MJFF’s mission. Emi Silverstein of New York
celebrated her 17th birthday with Team Fox
in honor of her father, Jonathan, who was
diagnosed with PD last year. “At the time,
I knew little about the disease. I was really
scared,” says Emi. She discovered Team Fox
and “an amazing community of individuals
who cared about finding a cure,” she says.
Emi’s birthday party combined one of her
favorite activities — SoulCycle indoor cycling —
with an opportunity to support a cause close
to her family, and raised more than double
her fundraising goal. Fueled by the success of
her event, Emi led a month-long Parkinson’s
Awareness Month campaign at her school,
concluding with a large bake sale. “Providing
an incentive to give back in the form of sweet
treats, t-shirts or stickers, is great motivation,”
advises Emi.
According to Zoe Butchen, who at 17 has
already raised over $100,000 for Parkinson’s
research, “Any idea is a good idea and
whatever is popular at the time can help
create a movement.” Three years ago, when
Zoe learned that her father has PD, she
created “Dance, Shake, Donate,” a social-
media ef fort asking friends and family to
donate while showing off their dance moves
to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”
She has continued to evolve her event, and
in 2018, it grew into a dance marathon at her
Connecticut high school.
No matter your age or fundraising goal,
Zoe says, with “a personal connection
and passion, you can create something
meaningful.”
Join in the fun. Visit michaeljfox.org/summerseries
for more family-friendly ideas to help speed
a cure with Team Fox.
21
Spring/Summer 2018