Making a Difference in Parkinson’s Disease

LIBBY’S STORY

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in 2004, Elizabeth Woodbury, nicknamed Libby, experienced, first-hand, the need for an organization to provide support and services to those diagnosed with the disease. With that in mind, she formed a committee to raise monies through annual fundraising Style Shows, starting in 2005. In 2012, NWI Parkinson’s, Inc., was officially designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization and incorporated in the State of Indiana.

Libby’s entrepreneurial spirit began in 1997, when she opened Elizabeth’s Fashions*, an upscale women’s boutique, offering designer style for women, with locations in Dyer, Chesterton and Schererville, Indiana. Elizabeth’s Fashions is now part of NWI Parkinson’s, and ALL proceeds go to fund the organization’s activities for Parkinson patients.

As demand for PD services grew, Libby and the NWI Parkinsons’ Board of Directors saw the need for the group to have its own building to better serve individuals and their families.  The corporation building, located at 2927 Jewett Avenue in Highland, Indiana, was purchased in 2017, and has grown to serve over 2,000 individuals afflicted with PD annually.

Research has proven that exercise, such as Dance, Yoga and Boxing, can help individuals with PD achieve improved mobility and slows the progression of the disease. NWI Parkinson’s provides a multitude of FREE services to these individuals and their caregivers.  FREE classes are offered weekly and include Dance for PD, Boxing, Yoga, Full-Body Workouts,  Cardio Drumming Class, Chair Zumba and a NEW  Speak Out Class!  Other FREE services include weekly Discussion Groups, led by a nurse, Support Groups and monthly Pearls of Wisdom educational seminars, given by experts in their field on various topics, including Medication Management, Nutrition, and the latest PD Research, to name a few.

Annual fundraising events to support the mission of NWI Parkinson’s, include a Dinner Dance, an Educational Symposium, providing the latest information and research on PD, and a Style Show, featuring women’s styles from her store, and men’s fashions from John Cicco’s Menswear in Merrillville, Indiana.

NWI Parkinson’s Mission Statement is, “To give Parkinson patients HOPE, to know that they are not alone, and that we are bringing them together for exercise, companionship and to find ways to improve their quality of life.” 

Elizabeth’s Boutique now has additional space across the atrium upstairs  on the 2nd Floor, which also serves as a Social Room when there isn’t a Trunk Show. There is also a new Exercise Machine Room complete with a ping pong table!  
And, in December, with help from the Town of Highland Redevelopment Commission, we now have a newly remodeled office opposite the Activities Room. We also have a Pool Room with a championship billiards table, donated by Ken & Joy Anderson.