I AM!™ Poem Project for Support Groups

One of our primary value statements at PMD Alliance asserts that people living with Parkinson’s are more than their disease.  What does that mean to you?  Could this statement apply to Care Partners, Adult Children, and others who are traversing the Parkinson’s journey, as well?  We believe it does, and we want to help your group members embrace this truth — and then put pen to paper and document this truth!

PMD Alliance has partnered with Alison Miller at Supernus Pharmaceuticals to create an engaging and powerful activity toolkit for support groups called the I AM!™ Poem Project, which provides your group members an opportunity to rediscover who they are and what makes them truly unique.  The I AM!™ Poem toolkit serves as an easy-to-follow guide that sparks participants’ creativity and helps them to recall their most important aspects of “self”—where do I come from, what do I believe in, and who has been most influential my life?   

In the I AM!™ Poem booklet, participants complete an introspective pre-writing activity and a fill-in-the-blank template that results in a fully-composed I AM!™ Poem. Once your group members have completed their poems, they may share their “stories” with a partner, in small groups, or with the entire group, either verbally or in writing by sending out the collection of poems via email. Our hope is that this fun and creative writing exercise will serve as a source of inspiration and a powerful reminder for your group members that they are MUCH more than their diagnosis. 

If you’d like to learn more on how to deliver the toolkit, join us for one of our upcoming I AM!™ Poem Project training sessions for support group leaders on:

Monday, November 15, 9:00-10:30 AM PT
Monday, December 13, 9:00-10:30 AM PT 

Registration information for these online trainings will be sent to our support group leader email list a couple of weeks prior to the training dates. 

 If you’d like to get started right away, click below to download the kit today.

I am from changing seasons
From the crunch of dry leaves under scuffling feet
to biting cold sleet on my cheeks on the way to school
From family gatherings along the coast to the sting of 
mosquitos on a heavy summer night. 

I am the capturer of memories
The click, click of my shutter and shy smiles
peeking around corners
The paparazzi of celebrations
and community happenings 

I am the lone speck of dust
swirling in a cyclone at the doctor’s office
Left to pick up the pieces
Numb, with no compass or roadmap  

I am stiff and sore muscles twisting and pushing
I am from determination and perseverance
From sweat and from tears 
I am from the strength in my gut
knowing God’s got my back 

I am from hope
From pink sunrises and orange sunsets
And fragrant petals that will bloom another year. 

 -Lauren Simmons

♥

I AM from the cornfields of Indiana,
Ready to discover every other beating heart 

I AM a friend to all: Red, Yellow, Black or White
From the  North, South, East or West! 

I AM a Brother to all,
Some I’ve met and some not yet! 

I AM a “NGUer”
A never give upper 

I AM a defender
Of those with no defense! 

I AM a voice
For those without one! 

I AM not saying goodbye
But will say SEE YOU LATER!

-Roger Jenkins

Thank you to our annual partner: