As we approach the mid-year, all of us at the Parkinson Research Foundation are looking forward to a very busy period during which we prepare for several very exciting events. The first is the Alaska education cruise for Parkinson patients and their caregivers. This seven-day event touring the beautiful Alaska glacier region, will provide a full agenda that will surely help our cruisers to learn even better ways to live with Parkinson's disease. The ship sets sail from Seattle Washington on September 26, 2010, returning to Vancouver a week later. Please visit our web site at www.parkinsonresearchfoundation.org for more information and to make your reservation. Space is limited.

On February 13, 2011, another educational Parkinson cruise will set sail for several exotic Central American ports including Belize. We have added courses for physicians on Parkinson's disease that allow them to obtain CME credits.

On November 1, 2010, the Parkinson Research Foundation will be conducting a comprehensive one-day symposium in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Stuart Issacson will assume the position of program chair for this event.

These events are very labor intensive and the Parkinson Research Foundation expends larges sums of donated contributions to make these events quite costly. Accordingly, I am make a personal appeal to each of you reading this column to consider making tax deductible contributions to the PRF.

Thank you.

Lawrence S. Hoffheimer

Chairman