Since Jayne Godfrey of Spanish Fort, AL, joined Team Fox in 2009, she has raised nearly $60,000 for Parkinson’s research. Prior to this year, her fundraising efforts included an annual Poolside for Parkinson’s event—a way for her to entertain friends, raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease research, and take control of her own PD diagnosis.

Diagnosed at age 39, Jayne felt her world turn upside down. The busy wife and mother of two eventually retired from her job as a paralegal and had to stop running—a passion that she soon replaced with yoga. Fast forward five years to a positive, determined woman who has helped galvanize the Parkinson’s community in her area; since her diagnosis, three support groups have been established in her county and she has consistently raised funds and awareness for PD research each year.

Jayne remarks, “I want to not only live successfully with PD but I want to help obliterate it. I have met wonderful people in my community and across the country who have been stuck in the prime of their lives with this debilitating disease and while my association with these people has blessed me in more ways than I can express, ending their struggle with Parkinson’s by funding better treatment options and a potential cure drives me on a daily basis.”

This year, her fundraising plans have switched gears. Instead of throwing her Poolside for Parkinson’s event, she is hosting a gala dinner complete with a silent auction, live music, raffle items and much more. This year’s event, Delta Starlight Shining for the Cure, will take place on Thursday, September 13 in Spanish Fort, AL. To learn more about Jayne and her event, check out this recent article from Gulf Coast News Today.

Pictured above, left to right: Jayne’s brother Scott Barnard, Jayne’s mom Mary Robbins, Michael J. Fox, Jayne, and Jayne’s husband Tom Godfrey.