The primary mission of “Sail On with Parkinson’s” is to create awareness for people with Parkinson’s.

As a Parkinson’s Ambassador Steve Van Vlaenderen will participate in national, provincial and federal governmental relations and advocacy initiatives to help move Parkinson’s Issues forward.

By sharing his experience as someone who lives with and has to cope with the challenges of the Parkinson’s disease every day; Steve hopes to inspire others that they do not have to give up on their dreams...

To encourage others not to let Parkinson’s define who they are.

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Steve Van Vlaenderen's Sail On with Parkinson's started in 2017 as a three year journey designed to raise awareness and funds, and to show that people living with Parkinson's continue to live well and achieve. The sailing/ Parkinson’s awareness campaign has broken the journey through the Great Lakes into three legs over a three year period.

During the first leg, Steve and Darlene sailed from Gimli, Manitoba to Georges Island located in the upper basin of Lake Winnipeg and return. For the second leg of their journey, the boat was transported to Duluth, Minnesota where they officially launched Cloud for the start of their Great Lakes track. In 2018, their voyage took them from Duluth to Sarnia, Ontario.

The final leg, scheduled for 2019, will take them from Sarnia across Lake Erie, through the Welland Canal, across Lake Ontario, then up the St Lawrence River to their final destination of Montreal, Quebec before returning to port in Whitby, Ontario.