Natalie Skall heard about InMotion from Amy and late founder Lee Handel, whom she and her husband Richard are close with, during the conception stages. Her husband, in fact, had known Lee since High School. In addition, she has been a client of founder Ben Rossi for over 10 years.

A retired Medical Technologist, Natalie is “amazed and wonderfully surprised to see the progress that clients have made through exercise and interaction with other clients.” Although her career has always revolved around the medical field, she had not been directly involved with clients until volunteering at InMotion but has found it very rewarding. ...

When you arrive at InMotion on a Wednesday afternoon, you will most likely be greeted by Laura Bennett and Natalie Skall. Both have been volunteering their time at InMotion since the doors opened in March 2015.

Laura, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, heard about InMotion at a PD Symposium that she attended with her husband shortly after her diagnosis. As both a client and a volunteer, Laura has a unique perspective of InMotion. ...

When Cindy Polster brought her uncle to InMotion for a tour, she was hopeful that he would agree to participate in the center’s classes and programs to help him with his Parkinson’s disease. What she didn’t expect was that she herself would also decide that day to become a part of the InMotion community by volunteering.

“Another volunteer at the front desk shared that they were looking for more volunteers, and I decided that InMotion could be a wonderful place for my uncle and a volunteer project that I could feel really good about,” says Cindy. ...

Barbara Schaefer has been volunteering since InMotion opened its doors after attending a Cleveland Heights Parkinson’s Support Group where former Executive Director Lacy Roth spoke and mentioned that when InMotion opened they would be looking for volunteers.

Since coming to InMotion, Barbara says, “I am continually impressed by the caregivers and how kind and supportive they are of those they support. I am also impressed with how helpful and engaged Ben, Dan, and the staff is with clients.”

Before coming to InMotion, Barbara, who is retired and resides in Mayfield Heights, kept busy teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), traveling, working on her genealogy, participating in clinical trials, and exercising. ...

On Wednesday and Thursdays, you’ll find Nancy Grannis helping out Ben Rossi and his team in the Better Every Day (BED) classes. Since InMotion began in 2015, Nancy has been volunteering in the BED classes and was actually the first volunteer coach for BED.

Fulfilling. Awesome. Inspiring. Those are words Nancy uses to describe her volunteering experience at InMotion. She enjoys the positive, inclusive spirit of InMotion, and is inspired watching clients make physical gains that “build confidence and grit.”

Prior to volunteering, Nancy taught 5th grade in Shaker Heights. ...

Say hello to Tonya Waggoner, one of our dedicated volunteers who helps out at our front desk on Friday mornings. Tonya was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005 shortly after moving to the Cleveland area and made a commitment to focus on her health and family. She first heard about InMotion through emails she received from “Shaking with Laughter” and Dr. Karen Jaffe and responded to a request for volunteers in one of the first InMotion newsletters. ...

You can find Linda Schlein Thursday mornings behind the desk greeting clients and checking them in for class. Linda, a retired elementary school teacher, has been volunteering since InMotion opened its doors back in 2015. A longtime friend of Amy and Lee Handel, InMotion is a constant reminder to Linda of the wonderful legacy left behind by Lee that is being carried out by Amy.

Linda enjoys watching clients interact, smile and be happy. ...