The Donna Clervi Foundation Inc

The mission of The Donna Clervi Foundation is to create a safe space where fighters and their families can find the resources and support necessary to live healthier and happier lives.

The Donna Clervi Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established to create and fund a holistic Parkinson’s Development Center in Orange County, California designed specifically for people with Parkinson’s disease, their families, and their support systems. We are committed to raising awareness of and supporting those living with the daily challenges of Parkinson’s disease by bringing together and nurturing effective therapies, exercise modalities, education, and social support to improve the overall quality of life for those battling this debilitating disease, those we call our “fighters”. The Foundation provides financial support to individuals who cannot afford the full cost of exercise programs that have been proven to aid in combatting the effects of Parkinson’s.

The organization, based in Orange County, California, launched in 2019 and earned its 501(c)3 nonprofit designation in August 2021. Our vision is to ensure the Parkinson’s Development Center not only becomes a place for our fighters and their families to thrive and grow, but a place they call home.

We are currently serving 56 fighters and more than 100 of their family members and caregivers, utilizing space in an existing gym, which we have outgrown. In our current setting, we are unable to accommodate the number of fighters who want and need to participate in our programming and support groups. We are currently looking for a location in south Orange County that is approximately 3,500 – 4,000 square feet and will accommodate all the physical, therapeutic, and support methodologies our fighters need and deserve. Funding will support the location lease and build-out. Future proceeds collected will go to further enhance educational programs, scholarship funds, and in-home care assistance.

There is no single facility in Orange County where people with Parkinson’s can go to partake in all the recommended exercises, therapies, and support groups that help improve their quality of life. To fill this need, the Donna Clervi Foundation is committed to building a Parkinson’s Development Center dedicated to people with Parkinson’s, their families, and their support systems. The Center will offer holistic support to enhance the physical, social, and emotional journeys of our community.

This Center focused solely on Parkinson’s disease will help combat the unique needs of people fighting it, enabling us to directly address the disease symptoms with specific targeted therapies, which have proven to slow progression and improve quality of life. Additionally, the Center will create a space of belonging where a community of like-minded fighters with similar experience gather to help each other maintain the emotional and mental health necessary to fight Parkinson’s from the inside out.

South Orange County

As a 30+ year veteran of the healthcare industry, I have dedicated my career to creating quality of life initiatives for the workplace, to healthcare systems, and in the lives of everyday people. I now use that experience to support, encourage and train people struggling with Parkinson’s. This is a terrible, debilitating disease with no cure, and the best way to minimize the effects of the illness is to keep fighting. Rock Steady Boxing is a proven program that teaches our boxers to fight back through forced intense exercise gaining strength, mobility, balance, focus, and so much more.

Throughout my career, I have worked with architects, interior designers and contractors planning, building and furnishing acute care facilities, cancer centers, urgent care centers, medical office buildings and off-site pharmacies for major healthcare groups. My long-standing clients were Kaiser Permanente, Hoag Hospital, MemorialCare, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Scripps, Stanford Medical, the VA Medical Centers and San Francisco General to name a few.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. The gradual break down and loss of these neurons leads to impaired motor and non-motor functions. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, “nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson's disease (PD). This number is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Parkinson's is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with PD each year.” It is my vision and firm belief that the Parkinson's Development Center will enhance and add value to those fighting this incurable disease.

"Grants made to the Donna Clervi Foundation would be a critical help to the Foundation's mission and meet a prime need within the scope and limitations of the Foundation's policies. As a founding member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the Donna Clervi Foundation, I have seen the tremendous need for People with Parkinson's for the support and help provided by Donna and her team. In three years, made more difficult by the nationwide pandemic, the Donna Clervi Foundation has raised funds for planning the Parkinson's Development Center. The Center will be the central location for people with Parkinson's to access needed programs and therapies to "fight back" against the ravages of an incurable disease. I appreciate your consideration of support and welcome any questions or information I can provide for your valuable review."
Ray Stromback, Board Chair