Live Well Today, and Tomorrow
Our Mission
Stand Up to Parkinson’s supports regional programming for PD patients to help them find resources that provide opportunities to live more fulfilling lives. An example of this is Help for Parkinson’s, whose mission “is to help people living in the New York Greater Capital Region who are affected by Parkinson’s Disease by giving them access to daily living tools, tips, and resources needed to live well today, and tomorrow.”
A short time after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2017, Tim’s focus moved to helping others, as he had done throughout his life in his role as teacher, mentor, coach, administrator, friend, brother, husband, and father. In 2019, Tim and his wife Dawn founded Stand Up to Parkinson’s, with the goal of raising funds to assist local researchers in their mission to find a cure.
Meet our Co-Founders
Tim Lange
Tim’s professional career spanned 33 years in public school education in the Capital Region. He taught Spanish at Columbia High School in the East Greenbush Central School District where he also coached several sports. His 1994-95 boys basketball team captured the Section 2 Class A championship and he was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2017.
Tim served as Director of Athletics and Health at the Mohonasen Central School District before returning to East Greenbush where he was an assistant high school principal and later assistant superintendent. He went on to serve the Waterford-Halfmoon School District as superintendent until his retirement in 2014.
In 2017, while working for the Saratoga National Golf Club, Tim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Noticing tremors and tingling of his right hand, he was seen by a neurologist affiliated with the Albany Med Movement Disorders department. Tim decided a couple months later that he would take up the fight to help researchers find a cure for PD.
Tim is proud of the Board of Directors that have joined him in a passion for finding a cure and for assisting Capital Region Parkinson’s patients in living a more rewarding life.
Tim is the proud father of his daughter, Alyson, and stepson, Matt.
Dawn Lange
Dawn helped found the organization with her husband, Tim, in 2019. She had a successful career in public education, first as an elementary school teacher for 12 years in the South Colonie School District, and then for 21 years as a Hall Principal at Shaker Junior High School in the North Colonie Central School District. Dawn earned her BA from the College of St. Rose, and her Master’s degree from UAlbany. She is the proud mom of Matt Berthiaume and stepmom to Alyson.
Tim reached out to his long time friends, Lisa and Dan Smith and Rodger and Kelly Wyland, who joined the organization as officers, and in the fall of 2019 the 1st Annual Stand Up to Parkinson’s Golf Tournament took place.
Since that first event, Stand Up to Parkinson’s has continued to grow as a fundraising organization that not only supports local research at Albany Medical Center, but has also begun to support other regional programming that assists current Parkinson’s patients in the Capital Region live more fulfilling lives.
Upon Dawn’s retirement in 2022, Tim and Dawn relocated to Arizona where they are currently enjoying the active Arizona lifestyle. They keep very busy meeting new friends, playing softball and golf, attending professional Arizona sporting events, and enjoying their time together in the beautiful Arizona landscape.
In December of 2023, because of their distance from the Albany area, Tim (President) and Dawn (Secretary) stepped aside from their active roles with SUTP, and “passed on” the organization’s leadership to their longtime friends.
Stand Up to Parkinson's Today
The current officers and the expanded board of directors (in January of 2024 we welcomed 7 new community leaders to our board) are not only committed to continuing the work that Tim and Dawn began, but also to expanding the reach of our organization in Tim’s vision. We are beyond grateful for their passion, energy, and leadership in creating SUTP, as well as for the countless hours they dedicated to laying the groundwork for what we hope to become.