Our Family Tree
Learn about the generous donors who have established charitable funds through Stark Community Foundation.
When Dick Nicely noticed a trembling in his left thumb at age 53, he wasn’t thinking Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis of the incurable disease surprised the local business owner, but he didn’t try to hide his condition and he wasn’t immobilized by fear. He became one of the area’s most passionate advocates for Parkinson’s research.
For the past 15 years, Dick has been active in several national organizations, including the Parkinson’s Action Network in Washington, D.C., the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center near San Jose, Calif., and the Michael J. Fox Foundation in New York, N.Y.
As he became more and more enthusiastic about Parkinson’s research, Dick wanted to lend his support locally. In 2013, with the help of Stark Community Foundation, he established the Nicely Charitable Fund to encourage and enhance research and study for the eradication of Parkinson’s disease.
A friend connected Dick to two researchers in the College of Pharmacy at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) who, because of an initial gift of $50,000 from Stark Community Foundation in 2009, conduct research on identifying and developing medicines that will stop or slow down the brain cell death and progression of Parkinson’s disease, thereby prolonging and preserving the quality of life for patients.
The researchers needed only one additional piece of research to apply for a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation — but they lacked the funding to take the next step.
Intrigued by the NEOMED team’s enthusiasm and creative ideas, Dick spoke persuasively to Stark Community Foundation about the importance of advancing research for Parkinson’s disease and promised to match any funding the Foundation would provide.
His words worked. The Foundation board approved a $50,000 grant from the Irene H. Smith Memorial Fund at Stark Community Foundation for ongoing funding and Dick matched it with a personal check.
In May 2013, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Target Validation Program provided a $122,435 grant to the NEOMED research team. With the Fox grant, NEOMED has surpassed the $1 million mark in fundraising for Parkinson’s disease research.
Through the collective fundraising efforts between The Fox Foundation, Stark Community Foundation, other foundations and organizations throughout Northeast Ohio, and individuals like Dick, there is hope for the one million Americans suffering from Parkinson’s disease — possibly resulting from research at NEOMED.