Local Indian Creek seventh grader Katlyn Williams is celebrating her 13th birthday party tonight, but the celebration won’t be all about her.

Katlyn’s grandfather passed away in January earlier this year from Parkinson’s disease and all Katlyn wants for a gift this year are donations to go toward finding a cure for the deadly disease.

Katlyn’s celebration is being held at 8 p.m., tonight at the Mansfield Community Center, off Ga. Highway 11 in Mansfield.

“We have already sent out 55 invitations that strictly say do not bring any presents or other materialized gifts” said Valerie Williams, Katlyn’s mother.

“My dad, he lived in Mississippi and we would go back there and visit him a lot” Williams said. “We would visit him in the nursing home and [Katlyn] said before he died that on her next birthday that she wanted dedicate her next party to him.”

Williams is not asking for any gifts, but only donations so she can donate them all to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. She said the family has already received a few donations and will be sending them to the foundation next week.
Williams said her daughter, Katlyn, is not expecting to receive a certain amount of donations, but will be happy and appreciative of whatever she receives.

People can donate to the:

American Parkinson's Disease Association
135 Parkinson Avenue
Staten Island,NY 10305

Donations should be made in memory of Joseph Cimon.