The Zent-A-Thon 5K Run/Walk was held on Saturday, May 30th at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, California. This is the 3nd time the NSTA worked in conjunction with the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Foundation (PMDF) to host this event. I am happy to report that the fundraiser was a huge success! By the time we finished registering and checking in everyone we had 130 people in attendance.

The weather was perfect for our fundraiser event. “June Gloom” was once again our friend and kept the temperature nice and cool. The overcast and mild temperature kept us cool and made the event more enjoyable. Usually the overcast dissipates around 10:30 a.m. however it stayed well into the afternoon just as the event ended.

Participants started showing up at Mile Square Park as early as 8:00 a.m. We were fortunate to have the help of NSTA’s volunteers, Dorothy Tran, Francis Lubanga, Andy Nguyen, Jason Sarayba, Kyra Nguyen and Madison Dane. PMDF brought volunteers which also included the Zent family consisting of Karen, Ron Teresa and Sean. The volunteers helped with setup the lunch area, unloading equipment and food from the cars, placing the banners and pathway signs up, setting display tables, and checking in attendees. Madison, Jason, Dorothy and Kyra were at the finish line encouraging people and providing times for the participants. Sherri Vander Dussen helped us check in registrants. There are other people who gave a helping hand that day and we thank them as well. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this fundraiser run smoothly and successful!
On behalf of the NSTA, I really thank the Zent family for not only conceiving this fundraiser but for actively being involved. Karen Zent relinquished her role as a PMDF board member over a year ago; however, she and her family continue to be involved. This event was the idea of Karen’s daughter Tessa who wanted to become proactive when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

We are greatly appreciative to Stephanie Kallay, Merz Territory Business Manager and Merz Pharmaceuticals, the makers of the botulinum toxin Xeomin for being the major supporter for this event. We are also thankful to Allan Ratman of Katella Deli for being another major generous sponsor and provided lunch for our attendees. Water and Gatorade was provided by Gianni Truong, Executive Director of Saigon TV Foundation. NSTA is truly thankful for their continuous support. The Zent-A-Thon t-shirts provided to the participants were donated by Dr. Daniel Truong, Medical Director of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Medical Group. We thank everyone who attended and informed people they know about the Zent-A-Thon Fundraiser. We had so many participants this year!

Almost everyone completed the 5K and really enjoyed the new route that had them walk/run inside the park. The event raised over $12,000. The momentum of this fundraiser has grown and we look forward to another successful event next year. We will continue to provide great prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner and have great raffle prizes for people who participate. We are planning more activities that will make it a great activity for all family members regardless of age. The NSTA will partner up with PMDF again in 2016 to raise money for the NSTA and spread awareness. We hope that more people will attend and support our fundraising and awareness efforts.