Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox Announces 2011 Partnership with the National Parkinson Foundation
--Out of the Park for Parkinson's Campaign Launches its Second Season--
CHICAGO and MIAMI, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gordon Beckham, second baseman for the Chicago White Sox, is making a donation to the National Parkinson Foundation for every home run that he hits during the 2011 season and he is asking his fans to join him. Out of the Park for Parkinson's is an awareness campaign he launched in 2010, in partnership with the National Parkinson Foundation, to help end Parkinson's disease. Last year, the successful campaign brought in over $60,000 and he hopes to raise even more this year.
Gordon Beckham and his family understand the challenges of Parkinson's firsthand: his grandfather has been living with the disease for nearly a decade. "My grandfather's struggle with Parkinson's has given me an up-close look at the suffering it causes," said Beckham. "I want to raise awareness and funds to help eradicate the disease so future generations do not have to go through what our family and countless others have been through with Parkinson's." At present, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease.
Out of the Park for Parkinson's has two special partners for the new season: HUB 51 Restaurant in Chicago (www.hub51chicago.com) and the Chicago Area & NW Indiana Lexus Dealers (www.lexus.com). HUB 51 is promoting the campaign with a special signature drink on the menu and Lexus Dealers are making a donation for every White Sox RBI and promoting the campaign on CBS Radio.
Fans of Gordon Beckham can visit www.outofthepark.org to make a one-time donation or a "Per Home Run Pledge" for each homerun Gordon hits during the 2011 baseball season. Fans can also follow Out of the Park for Parkinson's on Facebook and Twitter.
All proceeds benefit the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), a national, non-profit organization that funds research, education and outreach programs to improve the lives of people with Parkinson's disease. NPF has a strong presence in Chicago, Illinois, supporting the work of Northwestern University's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center, NPF Center of Excellence, as well as the local NPF chapter, the Parkinson Association of Illinois (PAIL).
About Gordon Beckham
A native of Atlanta, GA and adopted son of Chicago, IL, 24-year-old Gordon Beckham plays second base for the Chicago White Sox. Gordon made his major league baseball debut on June 4, 2009. In his inaugural season, he hit 14 home runs, had 63 RBIs, and ended the season with a batting average of .270. In 2009, he was named Rookie of the Year by both the American League and the Major League Baseball Players Association. For more information about Gordon Beckham and the Chicago White Sox, visit http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com.
About the National Parkinson Foundation
The National Parkinson Foundation supports a strong network of 43 Centers of Excellence dedicated to excellence in research and providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary care to more than 50,000 Parkinson's patients and their families worldwide. Founded in 1957, the National Parkinson Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of care for people with Parkinson's disease through research, education, and outreach. Since 1982, NPF has funded more than $155 million in care, research and support services.
About Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's with an estimated one million people with the disease in the U.S. and four to six million worldwide. At present, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.
For more information about Parkinson's disease or the National Parkinson Foundation, please visit www.parkinson.org or call 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636).
SOURCE National Parkinson Foundation
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