~ 1999 ~ 

Dr. J. David Grimes and his son, Dr. David A. Grimes, in conjunction with the Parkinson’s Society of Ottawa-Carleton, published the 3^rd edition of One Step at a Time  which was fast becoming the reference book of choice for people living with Parkinson’s.

Dr. David A. Grimes was appointed to the Board of the Parkinson’s Society of Ottawa-Carleton as the Medical Advisor.

The first Family Education Night was held on June 23 in the Boardroom of the Ottawa Hospital. It provided clients with a combination of short presentations from health care professionals such as a speech pathologist, a pharmacist, a psychologist and nurses who had a direct impact on the health of people with Parkinson’s.

Three new support groups were introduced to client services: ParkinSons & Daughters, Young Parkinson’s and a west-end group in Kanata.

David Simmonds, a life member of the Parkinson’s Society of Ottawa-Carleton became President of the national organization, Parkinson Foundation of Canada.

~ 2000 ~

The Society hosted a retirement breakfast for David Simmonds, as he retired from his profession as a lawyer. Members and colleagues attended, and were treated to a bluegrass performance from his album.

The second annual Taylor Group Golf Classic was held at the Meadows Golf and Country Club on August 16^th. The tournament raised more than $21,000 for the Society.

The fifth annual SuperWalk was held at Andrew Haydon Park on September 10 in honour of Gerhard Herzberg, a Canadian scientist, former Nobel Prize recipient and Distinguished Research Scientist. Dr. Herzberg, who had Parkinson’s, passed away in March of 1999 at the age of 94.

Ottawa Artist Barbara Nathan-Marcus dedicated her second annual fundraiser to the Parkinson’s Society. In doing so, she also donated a major percentage of the proceeds of her sales to the Parkinson’s Society in memory of her mother Annie Appleman, who was one of the original participants in the L-Dopa Research Project.

Mae and Carmel Cini, through a generous donation of stock shares, started an endowment fund to support the Society’s library – now known as the Parkinson Society Ottawa Resource Centre.

 Some improvements were made: a wheelchair ramp was installed at the front of the Clinical Studies Building, to enable clients to safely enter the building to attend Society programs. The Montgomery Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion donated physiotherapy stairs and a Tai Chi mirror for use during exercise programs.

The Parkinson Foundation of Canada created an Ontario Division to serve all people living with Parkinson’s in Ontario. The aim was to focus on allocating more resources to high population areas, and where governance or staffing structure was lacking. A provincial nominating committee was struck to create a board of directors for the Ontario Division. Grant Walsh, President of the Parkinson Society of Ottawa-Carleton, was elected to the committee, and served as the Chair.

Dare to Dream sessions were held at the Society office on two separate occasions to explore why people chose to get involved with the Society, and where they would like to see the Society go. Organizers hoped to enhance strategic planning, and to educate participants about the Society by discussing the Society’s goals and mission.

Susan Ziebarth, who had served as the Executive Director for the Society since 1995, resigned in November. Ken Gorman, Director of Development, agreed to act in the position until a replacement was found.

~ 2001 ~ 

The Parkinson’s Society of Ottawa-Carleton, along with every other Parkinson group across Canada, signed a national agreement in an effort to create greater cohesion among regional Parkinson’s groups, and to facilitate the delivery of services to all Canadians living with Parkinson’s. These goals would be achieved through building new relationships and strengthening existing ties between the Parkinson Foundation of Canada and Regional Representative Organizations from coast to coast. An immediate and visible change resulting from the National Agreement was the adoption of both the name Parkinson Society Canada, and the stylized red tulip as the new national logo.

The national organization’s new mission statement became:

Parkinson Society Canada is the national voice of Canadians living with Parkinson’s. Our purpose is to ease the burden and find a cure through advocacy, education, research, and support services.

Parkinson’s Society of Ottawa-Carleton was one of the thirteen signatories to the National Agreement. There was some dissention within the organization, as many members felt this step might jeopardize the independent status that the Society had enjoyed since its inception.

Ruth Vant was hired as Executive Director in May, and worked to ensure the Society maintained its independence while strengthening its ties with Parkinson Society Canada. Ken Gorman had already made a decision to leave the Society, to pursue other opportunities. With only one week of overlap, Ruth found herself without any staff, and immediately hired Sarah Viau as an interim Administrative Assistant. Soon after, she hired Alan Muir as the new Director of Resource Development, so that normal fundraising programs could be reinstated. Samantha Shirley-Knops was hired in October as the permanent Administrative Assistant. 

In early May, Dr. J. David Grimes Sr., passed away. The Society was forced to say good-bye to another member who was such an integral part of the Parkinson’s community. Dr. J. David Grimes had been the first to conduct an adrenal gland - brain transplant in Canada. He co-authored One Step at a Time, an invaluable tool for people with Parkinson’s, their families and the medical community. He was an advocate for both Parkinson’s and the Society. His son, Dr. David A. Grimes, followed closely in his footsteps – as a well-respected neurologist, specializing in Parkinson’s. His research, supported by Parkinson Society Ottawa, focused on how genetic factors may contribute to the cause of Parkinson’s.

  The 6^th Annual SuperWalk for Parkinson’s broke many records: over 250 participants combined to raise more than $37,000 in pledges during a heat spell that saw the temperature hit 31.9^oC – another record. The walk was in honour of Ray Horning, who passed away in the fall of 2000. He was the Society President from 1987 to 1989, and focused on educating people about Parkinson’s. He was also instrumental in having Parkinson’s patients at Saint-Vincent Hospital grouped into what is currently referred to as the Parkinson’s Unit.

 A sound-alike charity, Parkinson’s Support and Research Society, Inc., already active in other parts of the country, began to do door-to-door solicitations throughout the Ottawa area.

~ 2002 ~

A focus on fund development brought Parkinson Society Ottawa back to financial health. The first annual Dr. J. David Grimes Memorial Golf Tournament was a great success, and the 2002 SuperWalk for Parkinson’s, also in honour of the late Dr. J. David Grimes, raised the most money in its 7-year history.

Dr. David A Grimes received the Friedman Grant from Parkinson Society Canada, for his research about how genetic factors contribute to the cause of Parkinson’s disease. His research studied a large family, in which many individuals were affected by PD, to identify genetic changes that may point to the cause of their Parkinson’s.

April brought with it a very successful April Awareness campaign, including a proclamation by the Mayor of Ottawa that April 11 is Parkinson’s Awareness Day in Ottawa. Chocolate tulips were introduced to help with awareness – and also proved to be profitable.

The Parkinson Society of Ottawa-Carleton made a decision to no longer use the term “Ottawa-Carleton” in its name (amalgamation of outlying towns into the new City of Ottawa made the name obsolete) and to align itself more closely with Parkinson Society Canada by using the same logo and to adopt a new business name: Parkinson Society Ottawa.

The sound-alike charity, Parkinson’s Support and Research Society, Inc. (PSRS), which started soliciting door-to-door in earnest in the Ottawa area in November 2001, began to use telemarketing to solicit funds as well. In March 2002, it was discovered that they had used the Society’s copyrighted materials both on their website and in their written material. The Society began litigation due to copyright infringement, and by December, the case was over and a court injunction was successfully filed against PSRS.

A private foundation donation of $252,000 enabled the Society to expand its client service program. Maria DaSilva was hired as the first Director of Client Services, and several new off-site support groups were started, including one to serve the francophone community. In addition, the Society began offering a weekly speech therapy program and a yoga program. At the same time, a change in staff saw Samantha Shirley-Knops go on maternity leave, and Rhonda Moore was hired on contract to replace her.

~ 2003 ~

Here we are 25 years later!

Client services continue to broaden, with more new support groups, Family Education Nights, guest speakers, exercise programs, speech therapy, education materials, newsletters, social activities, and in-service presentations for other health care facilities. A pilot survey, carried out late in 2002, helped to identify what services are most important to the Society’s clients. Plans are underway for bigger and better fundraising events and awareness activities.

The Society is stronger than ever. But since the New Year rang in, the office witnessed three floods, accompanied by a fire, a caved-in ceiling and two moves!

The first flood was on February 19 – a hot water pipe in the north-facing wall of the Studio burst, causing steaming water to cover the floor of the studio, and seep into the hall and storage rooms. Programs had to be cancelled for the rest of the week, while repairs were in progress.

Another disruption occurred on March 26. This time a fire started in the men’s locker room two floors above the Studio, causing a water pipe to heat up and burst (ironically this put out the fire). This caused more water damage, this time to the ceilings.

On April 2, The Ottawa Hospital, along with other health care facilities in Ontario enforced infection and screening control measures to prevent the spread of SARS. This resulted in the Society having to cancel client programs, volunteer jobs, student placements and other on-site meetings.

Was this the end of the Society’s challenges? Not to be….

Early on the morning of Sunday 6 April, Ruth Vant, Executive Director, received a call from the hospital’s Manager of Emergency Preparedness to say that a radiator two floors above the Society offices had burst. This resulted in further water damage and the ceiling caving in over part of the offices. This time, the damage was very extensive, necessitating an immediate evacuation. The Ottawa Hospital responded quickly and provided temporary alternate space, in two patient rooms in a newly-closed wing of the hospital.

The staff worked there for one month. During that time, the Society held a press conference at City Hall to launch its April Awareness campaign, and proceeded as planned with mall displays at several malls across Ottawa for three weekends.

On May 7 – only one month after the last flood – the Society moved from its temporary quarters to its new location at 110-1095 Carling Avenue. On May 20 the Society’s doors were once again open for client programs.

In August, Naomi Hanff was hired as the new permanent Administrative Assistant – Samantha Shirley-Knops would not be returning from her maternity leave and Rhonda Moore was leaving in September to seek new opportunities.

The AGM and Strawberry Social were held at Ben Franklin Place on June 16, and the “25 events for 25 years” program was launched. To commemorate the Society’s 25^th anniversary, an event, presentation or article will occur each week starting with the week of June 16 and culminating with the Holiday Party on December 6 at the Palisades Retirement Residence.

A strong Board continues to provide guidance and direction for the organization, and a competent and dedicated staff ensures the Society fulfills its mandate on a daily basis. These people, working for the benefit of Parkinson Society Ottawa, are:

The Board:

Alan Riccardi (President)

Larry Haffner (Secretary/Treasurer)

Carmel Boosamra (Program Committee)

Kenneth Clements (Co-Chair, Editorial Committee)

Judy Glustien (Chair, Program Committee)

Margaret Nicholds (Co-Chair, Fundraising Committee)

Tim Smith (Co-Chair, Fundraising Committee)

Fran Squire (Editorial Committee)

Guy Steed (Co-Chair, Editorial Committee)

Dr. David A. Grimes (Medical Advisor)

Staff:

Ruth Vant (Executive Director)

Maria DaSilva (Director of Client Services)

Alan Muir (Director of Resource Development)

Rhonda Moore (Special Events Coordinator)

Naomi Hanff (Administrative Assistant)

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