Thank you for visiting my website. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Gene. I am going to be a second year student at Harvard Law School. This summer, I am trying to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation's (PDF) renovation of their research facilities at Columbia University. I became interested in raising money for PDF through my grandfather who has Parkinson's, and is very active in raising money and coordinating efforts for Parkinson's research.

Parkinson's is a progressive disease of the brain that affects an estimated one million Americans. Currently, the drugs that treat Parkinson's only treat the symptoms. However, at the pace of current research, many foresee a cure for Parkinson's within the next five or ten years.

The research teams at Columbia University are at the forefront of this pursuit. Unfortunately, their facilities have not been renovated since they were built in 1965. Their physical facilities have become so rundown that it has become extremely difficult to perform cutting-edge research. In this light, it is truly amazing that they have made such incredible progress. Imagine what they could do with proper facilities!

The renovation of these labs will cost an estimated $5.4 million. The government has issued a grant of $2 million, the maximum grant possible for a renovation. This leaves $3.4 million to be raised. To be sure, my goal of raising $10,000 is modest at best. Please sponsor me as I run, swim, bike, paddle and climb my way toward this goal.