About Us

The Tichi Wilkerson Kassel Movement Therapy™ Foundation is a nonprofit 501 C3 foundation that was founded on August 1, 2009 with a generous grant from the Tichi Wilkerson Kassel Parkinson's Foundation

Tichi Wilkerson Kassel was a remarkable and vibrant business and community leader and generous humanitarian. As publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Hollywood Reporter, she was proud of her heritage -- The Hollywood Reporter was listed among the 100 most successful Hispanic companies in America. Tichi was the co-author of The Hollywood Reporter - The Golden Years, and Hollywood Legends - The Golden Years of the Hollywood Reporter.

Among her many achievements, in 1973 Tichi founded the highly regarded professional networking entertainment industry organization, Women in Film, which now has chapters in over twenty countries around the world. She also created the Key Art Awards to recognize outstanding artists in motion picture and television advertising and promotion,. She funded countless scholarship programs and contributed with both time and financial support to a variety of philanthropic organizations. Tichi was a major force behind the preservation of historic Olvera Street and in 1996 was awarded the Hero of Los Angeles Award by the Hispanic Women's Council for her humanitarian efforts. She founded and chaired the Beverly Hills-Cannes Sister City committee and received the Order of Arts and Letters from French President Mitterand and, later, the National Order of Merit from President Jacques Chirac. On July 13, 1989, Tichi received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a fitting tribute to the impact she had on the entertainment community.

Tichi Wilkerson Kassel

Married to Arthur M. Kassel for over 20 years, Tichi lived her life with great gusto, loving each moment and building a remarkable legacy. Tichi passed away a few years ago from complications of a progressive brain disorder - Parkinson's disease. Prior to her passing, she and Arthur founded the Tichi Wilkerson Kassel Parkinson's Foundation to provide funding for Parkinson's research and special equipment for people afflicted with Parkinson's and other ambulatory diseases. The foundation has supported important research into rehabilitation of patients suffering from a variety of brain diseases and research devoted to understanding and treating brain disorders. Many of the most common brain diseases have no laboratory tests to guide their diagnosis - Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are diagnosed solely on the basis of the doctor's judgment, with no help from blood tests. For this reason, many patients go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. Treatment is delayed or never provided, and patients suffer needlessly. The TWK Foundation, under the direction of Arthur Kassel, it's president, has accepted the challenge of correcting this unacceptable situation. Having a blood test available to diagnose brain disorders will be a tremendous advance and will help differentiate among similar conditions that may require different treatments. The blood test initiative will be the signature program of the Foundation.

The Tichi Wilkerson Kassel Movement Therapy™ Foundation is dedicated to serving its mission.