In May 2022, Elizabeth “Libby” Woodbury, founder and CEO of NWI Parkinson’s based in Highland, was a guest on my weekly Wednesday afternoon radio show on WJOB 1230 AM and she, along with Don Nagdeman, director of marketing for NWI Parkinson’s, asked me to be the emcee for the 6th Annual NWI Parkinson’s Dinner and Dance Gala in 2022.
“Our mission is to give Parkinson’s patients hope, to know that they are not alone and to bring them together for exercise, companionship and to find ways to improve their quality of life,” says Woodbury, who was diagnosed with the disease at age 49 in 2004.
“This organization started when I formed a committee to raise money through annual fundraising with a style show event I started in 2005. And by 2012, NWI Parkinson’s Inc. was officially designated by the IRS as a 501(c) (3) Charitable Organization. I’d never known I had this disease had it not been for a doctor who was shopping in my boutique one day when I mentioned I was having some balance issues. She told me to make an appointment with her office to come and see her. I’m forever grateful to her, and she’s still part of my life and this organization.”
It was in 1997 when Woodbury opened the first of her Elizabeth’s Fashions, an upscale women’s boutique, with locations in Dyer, Chesterton and Schererville.
Today, she spends much of her time at the main office of NWI Parkinson’s, 2927 Jewett Ave. in Highland, the space that was purchased in 2017 and has grown to serve more than 2,000 individuals afflicted with Parkinson’s. Woodbury said there are 1 million people in the United States and 10 million people worldwide with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impacts movements and becomes increasingly debilitating over time.
This Friday, Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., NWI Parkinson’s is hosting a 21st Anniversary Dinner and Style Show Fundraiser at Avalon Manor, 3550 E. U.S. 30, Merrillville. The cost is $75 by calling (219) 237-2342 or visiting nwiparkinson.org.
While chatting with Elizabeth and Nagdeman earlier this week about their event and some of the notable names with the disease, such as actor Michael J. Fox and the late fighter Muhammad Ali, who have helped raise awareness and education about Parkinson’s, the pair added the name of iconic singer Neil Diamond.
A year ago, the Midwest Chicagoland stage premiere of Neil Diamond’s new Broadway musical “A Beautiful Noise” played Chicago for a short but memorable run presented by Broadway in Chicago.
As reported in this column, readers Mike and Pegg Sangerman of the Miller Beach area alerted me in 2022 that their son Max Sangerman made his Broadway debut in November 2022 in “A Beautiful Noise,” not only in the ensemble, but also as the understudy for one of the Neil roles.
Max, who attended through eighth grade at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Chesterton, is a 2009 graduate of Chesterton High School. He was beaming during the Nov. 2, 2022, Broadway launch preview performance of the Neil Diamond musical at Broadhurst Theatre in New York for the preview run before the big Dec. 4, 2022, opening night.
Now the hit musical is back in Chicago through Nov. 30 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., and the national touring cast is continuing to help “give back to the cause of Parkinson’s research, education and awareness.”
Diamond, 84, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018 and embraced the idea (after serious contemplation) for the green light to a stage show about his life, once he had to stop touring because of dealing with the symptoms of the illness.
The Broadway company of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” created a partnership with the Parkinson’s Foundation for a successful result that has now been expanded with the North American Tour company.
The Broadway company of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” created a partnership with the Parkinson’s Foundation for a successful result that has now been expanded with the North American Tour company.
The Parkinson’s Foundation Midwest Chapter has three Centers of Excellence, one of which is Rush University Medical Center. And since research has proven people with Parkinson’s disease benefit from dance and music therapy, a movement workshop for Parkinson’s patients was hosted Wednesday morning by cast member and co-dance captain J’Kobe Wallace, teaching the patients choreography from the production to a song from the show. The special choreography was designed for people who need to remain seated or are in wheelchairs.
“Neil Diamond’s music has influenced so many lives,” said Wallace, who has been with the national tour since August 2024.
“When you hear a particular song that you love of Neil’s, it not only takes you back in your own mind to a special time or memory, but it also energizes and inspires to get people moving.”
Tickets for “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” start at $65 at www.broadwayinchicago.com or 312-977-1700.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at philpotempa@gmail.com
