Members of the University community gathered on the Lawn Saturday to flip for a cure at the 12th annual Pancakes for Parkinson’s event benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Pancakes for Parkinson’s is the largest philanthropy event at the University.
At 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning, 41 members of Pancakes for Parkinson’s executive board began setting up for the pancake breakfast, which serves approximately 3,000 guests each year.
More than 330 volunteers and countless attendees joined them from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to make pancakes, listen to a capella groups such as the Virginia Gentlemen and Academical Village People and to hear guest speaker Marcia Aulebach-Lagomarsino, Jr.
Aulebach-Lagomarsino is a lobbyist at the U.S. Department of State and specializes in Parkinson’s education and awareness. She was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s four years ago and now organizes several support groups for young Parkinson’s patients in Charlottesville.
“She talked about the importance of making it more well known, because there [are] actually a large number of people with Parkinson’s, and people aren’t always aware of that,” said Amanda Cole, Pancakes for Parkinson’s corporate sponsorship committee member.
Pancakes for Parkinson’s continued its partnership with another popular University student organization, Relay for Life, in a philanthropy weekend called Fight and Flip.
The initiative included a bar night at Trinity Irish Pub and a 5K the morning of the homecoming football game, before the Pancakes event. Both Relay for Life and Pancakes for Parkinson’s attract a lot of alumni attention, said Relay executive member Elsie Gaw, a fourth-year College student.
“I think it makes a lot of sense because Pancakes and Relay are both events that alumni remember participating in when they were at U.Va., so it’s really great for them to be able to be a part of it after they graduate,” Gaw said.
This year, Pancakes also formally partnered with the Young Alumni Reunion, an event which gathers alumni from the past four graduating classes, said Pancakes for Parkinson’s co-chair Ben Gorman, a fourth-year College student.
“At Pancakes, we had a dedicated area to pick up YAR tickets and partake in lawn games such as cornhole with other alumni,” Gorman said in an email statement.
The 2014 event raised about $50,000. This year’s mission was to raise over $65,000, but final numbers have not yet been determined.
Pancakes for Parkinson's has grown in numbers each year. It continues to make an impact on the fight against Parkinson’s, Gorman said.
“I think we all definitely had an adrenaline rush all day walking around the event and seeing nearly seven months of preparation and work come to fruition,” Gorman said.
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