When the Parkinson’s Council needed someone to serve as ambassadors for its 2016 Walk to Stamp Out Parkinson’s, an event slated to be held this Saturday, along Martin Luther King and West River drives in Philadelphia, John “Chet” Michalik and his daughter, Nicole, were the perfect selections.

Michalik, of Summit Hill, and his daughter, a Philly radio personality, will have the honor of serving as co-chairs of the 15th annual event, the largest gathering of people with Parkinson’s, care-partners, health care providers and research institutions focused on Parkinson’s in the region.“Because Parkinson’s is a family disease, having Chet and Nicole represent those families impacted by the disease speaks to the importance of creating a support system that will keep the individual living with the disease active, engaged and healthy,” said Wendy R. Lewis, executive director of the council.She pointed out that Michalik has played a major role in the development of an all-important Parkinson’s/MS Support Group of the Panther Valley, which is consistent and goes hand-in-hand with the mission of support emphasized by the council.“Chet and Nicole are ambassadors within the Parkinson’s community because of their willingness to speak openly about the impact of the disease on their family. They do it with humor, dignity and hope,” said Lewis.Chet and Nicole will lead the event that runs from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday in what is expected to be the most successful walk the council has held, Lewis said.“We started with just a little over 40 committed volunteers and donors, and now we will have close to 1,500 people come together to honor and support families living and thriving with Parkinson’s.”For Michalik, being asked to co-chair the event with his daughter is “something special.”“We’re really excited about it,” said Michalik, a retired employee of Air Products & Chemicals, Hometown.“I have become pretty active in the council. It has been an amazing help to myself and others with Parkinson’s in the area, and so when they asked us to co-chair the walk, we were really excited, and still are,” said Michalik.Nicole, who is known as a radio personality on Mix 106 and Q102 in the city, as well as on B104 in the Lehigh Valley, said the idea of co-chairing the walk “sounded like a lot of fun.”“Dad has become pretty active in the council because there really isn’t one from Summit Hill to Philly,” Nicole said.“Through it, we’ve learned a tremendous amount of information about PD. For me, though, this is a really big deal. We are looking forward to the walk.”Michalik said as many as 14 family members and friends are slated to take a bus trip down the turnpike that day to participate in the walk.“We just want to help the Parkinson’s Council in its ongoing mission to serve individuals,” Michalik said.In the U.S., 50,000-60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed each year, adding to the 1 million people who currently live with PD.Lewis said the 2016 walk has a goal of $375,000.Last year, the community donated over $325,000 to the walk, funds, which, she said, “were reinvested back in our area for quality of life programs and scientific research.“In short, the money raised in our community stays in our community.”Michalik said he would like to see people in the region help the Parkinson’s Council to reach its goal.“They have been very supportive of us here in the northeast, and they have helped a lot of people and their families through our interaction. It’s just a great cause.”For more information about the 2016 Walk to Stamp Out Parkinson’s, go to

http://theparkinsoncouncil.org.