Community
The New England Parkinson's
Ride Reached a $1M Fundraising
Milestone in 2018
by KAT MCCARRICK
Edna Woods, Chris Woods,
Cindy Woods Theberge and the
late Robert Woods Sr. celebrate
after Chris finishes the 100-
mile ride. The New England
Parkinson's Ride has raised
more than $4.5 million for
Parkinson's research in its
11-year history.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEAM FOX HISTORY,
a single-day event raised $1 million — and
then some! “It was unbelievably poignant for
us to hit $1 million the year that my father,
our co-founder (pictured above), passed.
What he wanted most in life was a cure for
Parkinson’s,” says Cindy Woods Theberge,
executive director of the New England
Parkinson’s Ride.
Cindy recalls the feeling of needing to do
something when her brother Chris was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 41.
Their mother, Edna Woods, resolved to take
action on behalf of her son, an avid cyclist.
“Get out of the way of a mother with a sick
child, no matter the age,” says Cindy. With
Edna at the helm, the Woods family founded
the New England Parkinson’s Ride in Old
Orchard Beach, Maine in 2008.
“We didn’t go in with an idea of how it’s
supposed to be done. If you do it with the right
heart and spirit, people are going to embrace it
and allow you to embrace them,” says Cindy.
The New England Parkinson’s Ride started with
35 riders and raised $27,000. Over the years,
one challenge was in retaining teams after the
loss of a loved one with Parkinson’s. “I started
reaching out to those people to say, do it for
your kids, your grandkids, for everyone else
here,” says Edna. Today, Cindy says, “People
coming back to honor family members is a
big part of who we are.” Now operating as a
501(c)3, the Ride has raised over $4.5 million
for The Michael J. Fox Foundation and in 2018
alone, attracted nearly 1,100 cyclists.
So, what’s next for the New England
Parkinson’s Ride? “All we see is a cure.
The Ride will end a year later, because we are
going to have one big party!” says Cindy.
For more on the evolution of the New
England Parkinson’s Ride, visit
michaeljfox.org/NEPR.
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The Fox Focus