The 2020 UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s will be held Friday and Saturday at the UNMC Ice Rink. The event, which runs from 2 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday, is open to the public.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Closing ceremonies will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Montez and Shari Stone, on-air morning show hosts on 99.9 KGOR-FM between 5:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., will emcee the opening and closing ceremonies. Montez is a member of the Parkinson’s Nebraska board.
The Skate-a-thon will be live streamed.
For the seventh straight year, the skate-a-thon will be held in memory of its founder, Colleen Wuebben, a person with Parkinson’s who died in 2013 at the age of 60. Colleen’s husband, Ted, and their five children have continued the tradition of the skate-a-thon since Colleen’s death.
Colleen was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005 at the age of 52. Three years later, the Wuebbens came up with the idea for the skate-a-thon. For the first three years, the Wuebbens flooded their back yard and held the event at their home.
Proceeds go toward clinical and basic science Parkinson’s research at UNMC and to Parkinson’s Nebraska, a 501(c)3 dedicated charitable organization committed to helping people in Nebraska and the surrounding areas who are affected by Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s Nebraska was founded in 2005 by Colleen Wuebben when she was first diagnosed.
The UNMC Ice Rink is located east of 42nd Street, about halfway between Dewey Avenue and Emile Street. A heated tent will allow skaters and spectators a place to stay warm. There also will be hot drinks, food and snacks. Emcees will keep the event moving, as skaters groove to non-stop music.