Why bringing Moving Day event to Richmond was 'really important' for this man

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond's first-ever Moving Dayevent benefiting the Parkinson's Foundation exceeded organizers' expectations Saturday morning at the Diamond.

"It's an event held in 48 other cities across the country, but never been held in Richmond," John Poma, the chair of the event and a member of the Parkinson's Advisory Council, said. "The purpose of this event is to support the mission of the Parkinson's Foundation. So all the funds that are raised from Moving Day help the foundation in this mission to make lives better for people living with Parkinson's it helps fund cutting-edge research... It helps support community grants that come back to the local community."

Poma said he made a "commitment" to make a difference after he was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago.

"I didn't want to be defined by how Parkinson's impacted me, but I wanted to be defined by what I could do to make a difference," he said. "I've been a participant in several clinical studies to help scientists understand the progression and advancement of Parkinson's and then became involved with the Parkinson's Foundation and the people with Parkinson's Advisory Council."

FULL INTERVIEW: All about inaugural Moving Day event in Richmond

Lauren Martyn with LiftPD, a non-profit that provides exercise classes for people with Parkinson's, said exercise is an important part of treatment for people living with the disease.

"I feel like a lot of people have maybe misconceptions about Parkinson's disease," Martyn, who is also on the Moving Day planning committee, said. "Normally, it's just associated with a resting tremor, but it does affect a lot of their day-to-day lives. Rather than just a tremor or just minor movement patterns, it really affects them mentally and physically."

The event raised more than $92,000, which exceeded the group's goal of $75,000.

"We definitely set the bar pretty high this year, and we exceeded it," Martyn said. "So it's definitely already been a success."

WATCH: Highlights from Richmond's first-ever Moving Day to benefit Parkinson's Foundation

Poma said the idea is that the momentum will continue each year to "join our voices with more than 186,000 other walkers across the country."

Poma said bringing the event to the city was "really important" for the lifelong Richmonder.

"To bring this event to Richmond, have our voices heard and make it successful, I'm just so thrilled with the event... and the success that we've had today," Poma said.

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