MNN - Mother Nature Network

When it comes to making the future a better place, Michael J. Fox and Nike have turned to the past and capitalized big. The shoemaker's decision last month to auction off 1,500 pairs of limited-edition NIKE MAG shoes (based on the futuristic pair worn by Fox in "Back to the Future II") brought in more than $4.7M. A matching pledge by Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki raised that final total to nearly $10M.

 

All of the money raised will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. 

 

"The enthusiasm this project ignited, and the funds and awareness the shoes generated for Parkinson's research, are both humbling and inspiring," said Fox in a statement. "Our Foundation is truly grateful to Nike for this unique partnership that brought Back to the Future fans, sneakerheads and the PD community together in the quest to eradicate Parkinson's from the space-time continuum."

 

According to a release, the Internet fervor generated by the sneaks also raised the profile of the fights against Parkinson's dramatically. The official website for the M.J. Fox Foundation saw visitor levels spike to greater than 1300-percent increase in traffic over the same day in 2010. The org's Facebook page also added more than 10,000 fans over the course of the auction.

 

"Creating a future without Parkinson's requires the involvement of many," added Fox. "Thanks to Nike and everyone who took part in this incredible event, our ranks have grown exponentially."

 

Check out one of the promo videos for the shoes (with Christopher Lloyd reprising his Doc. Brown role) below: