We had an incredible afternoon at our Annual Fundraising Celebration on Sunday, 13 September! The Barn on Flaxton was once again filled to the brim! Thank you to everyone who joined us helped make the event such a wonderful success.
We were honoured to have Division 10 Councillor David Law with us, reflecting on RHPT’s early days and the vision it took to launch a choir for people with Parkinson’s during Covid, when singing together in the same room wasn’t possible. Six years later, the choir continues to thrive — a testament to resilience, creativity, and connection. Our sincere thanks to Councillor Law for his words of encouragement and for officially opening our fundraising celebration.
Arthur emceed the afternoon as participants and graduates of the SPEAK OUT!® program (developed by the Parkinson Voice Project) shared facts about Parkinson’s as well as courageously shared their experiences, reflecting on how speech therapy has helped them communicate more confidently, reconnect with loved ones, find community and continue living with purpose and intent. Robyn demonstrated her gained confidence in speaking to a room full of people (both with and without using a microphone) while Ralph expressed deep gratitude for having support close at hand — from both his wife and RHPT — sharing how this steady encouragement helps him stay focused in the ongoing challenge of staying committed to therapy.
During the afternoon, our Choir of Sound INTENT also delighted the audience to songs such as I Sing with INTENT written specifically for the choir, as well as Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond who is also experiencing living with Parkinson’s.
Chaffey once again led a lively auction, and thanks to the generosity of everyone involved through the auctions, raffle, hamper sales in addition to the generosity of The Barn at Flaxton (who donated their space, staff and all the coffee and cake free of charge), we were thrilled to raise more than $10,000 to support people living with Parkinson’s disease!
A sincere thank you to The Barn on Flaxton for their generous hospitality (for the sixth year running!), the Blackall Range Lions Club for their invaluable assistance, our dedicated volunteers, donors, RHPT members, and every person who attended and supported the event. Your generosity and enthusiasm made the afternoon truly memorable. We would also like to thank Cameron Outridge, from Sunshine Valley Gazette, for his promotional support through his article and photos, as well as Mapleton and District Community Association (MADCA) for their article following the event.
Together, we are helping people with Parkinson’s find their voice, build confidence, and remain connected to the people and moments that matter most.
