PADS for Parkinson’s Receives $25,000 in Match Fund Challenge

Topper, PADS Sniffer Dog – Contributed Photo

Great news from PADS…

PADs for Parkinson’s of San Juan Island would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the exciting opportunity to receive up to $25,000 in matching funds.

This generous match fund has been presented by an anonymous benefactor and will apply to any donation received this giving season. Your support is needed to help the PADs Program to achieve the full amount of the match.    

PADs for Parkinson’s is the first program in North America to train dogs to detect an odor associated with Parkinson’s Disease, and the only such program providing non restricted canine assessment results and research to the Parkinson’s community.

Parkinson’s Disease cannot be detected at the early stage of the disease when therapeutic intervention would provide the best opportunity to slow, or even halt, disease progression. More than 10 million Americans are estimated to have unrealized Parkinson’s Disease at this time, making Parkinson’s the fastest growing neurological disease in America.

With your gift to PADs, this valuable ground-breaking program will go forward with twice the impact. Gifts to PADs can be made by mail at PO Box 2703, Friday Harbor, WA 98250; online at www.padsforparkinsons.org or as a pass-through gift handled by the San Juan Island Community Foundation. PADs for Parkinson’s is a recognized 501(c)(3). Thank you for your support.

We extend our continued gratitude to the training session volunteers, board members and handlers who continue to support our 21 fabulous sniffer dogs;  to the many who attend the live demonstrations of the dogs at work; and to the many individuals and support groups who supply donor samples for the Program. We extend our very deep gratitude to our sample donors who are battling Parkinson’s Disease. The work we do is for you.

On behalf of the entire PADs team, we are grateful and honored to be a thread in the fabric of a community that continues to work for a better world.

With gratitude,
Lisa Holt and Richard Lind

Lisa Holt, Director of Canine Detection ([email protected]) and Richard Lind, Board  President ([email protected])

About PADs for Parkinson’s:

PADs is the first program of its kind anywhere to train dogs for the detection of Parkinson’s Disease. The Program was spurred by the 2015 news of Joy Milne, the woman in Scotland who was proven to have the ability to smell Parkinson’s Disease. Formed in early 2016 as a research project, PADs soon grew to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a three-fold mission as follows: 1) Train dogs to detect Parkinson’s Disease; 2) Supply reproducible training protocol for other trainers; and 3) Assist research efforts that bring us closer to a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

Contact: Lisa Holt, Program Director, Canine Detection Training
PADs for Parkinson’s, the program for the training of Parkinson’s Alert Dogs
PO Box 2703, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250
(360) 298-5494  [email protected]  www.padsforparkinsons.org 

About Parkinson’s Disease:

Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease each year. There is no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, and neurodegenerative damage to the brain begins years prior to tremors. Today, the disease can only be clinically diagnosed once tremors become evident. Detection of the disease prior to tremor stage could help with dramatically slowing progression of the disease. Identifying an odor in the disease may provide an avenue for early detection.

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