30 Years in 30 Weeks — 2006

In honor of the 30th anniversary Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the PMC blog will take you on a ride through history. Today we continue 30 years in 30 weeks with a look back at the PMC in 2006. We’ll coast through the event’s history, featuring a new year each week, as we lead up to the 30th annual ride on Aug. 1 and 2.

Check out past 30 Years in 30 weeks posts here.

Send your PMC story to Stephanie@teakmedia.com

30 years in 30 weeks

2006

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge welcomed a trio of international athletes to the 2006 ride. Also riding among the group was one of the PMC’s biggest supporters in the last decade: Dr. Edward Benz, president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

It wasn’t a completely smooth ride for Dr. Benz. He broke his hand while training for the PMC, so his friend and colleague, Harry Holmes of Houston, agreed to ride in the PMC with him on a tandem.

Here’s what Dr. Benz had to say about his first PMC ride:

“Riding with you this year was a true pleasure and a real privilege. Of course, I shared with you the thrill of cresting those hills, the pain of two days on the bike seat, and that wonderful sense of “having done it” as we pulled into the Provincetown Inn. Even more importantly, my awe and gratitude to all of you deepened as I was immersed in the camaraderie so many of you shared with me. I was reenergized and reinspired by the faith you put in all of us here at Dana-Farber to do something about these horrible diseases that we ride to conquer.

Finally, I came away feeling an even greater sense of responsibility because all of you made it clear to me how much we at Dana-Farber mean to the community and how much we need, with every second that we work, to be the resource and the source of hope that this region needs in the war on cancer.”

 Also riding in the 2006 PMC were a Tour de France winner, a Boston Marathon Champion and three time Olympic Gold medalist.

Here’s what they had to say after completing their first PMCs.

“There is such an incredible energy around PMC weekend,” said Greg LeMond, three-time winner of the Tour de France, 1986, 1989, 1990, and the first American to win the race. “Meeting the riders, so many of whom return year after year, and hearing about the friends and loved ones they ride for made the event for me. It’s a flawlessly organized weekend from the volunteer support to the amenities and entertainment to the road conditions. It’s also a great route – riding over the Bourne Bridge before sunrise and past the dunes on the cape was really memorable.”

Johann Koss, triple gold medalist speed skating champion at the ‘94 Olympics, had a “fantastic experience” riding the PMC.

“The organization of this event was impeccable,” Koss said. “Thousands of volunteers on the side of the road and at the food and drink stations motivated me to forget about the pain in my legs, and to finish in style. During the two days, I made new friends who have a passion for riding, celebrating their achievements and curing cancer.”

Boston Marathon Champion (’94, ’95, ’96) Uta Pippig, who makes yearly visits to the Jimmy Fund Clinic, said it was so gratifying to ride for those children. “This, my first PMC, was a wonderful experience,” Pippig said. “The camaraderie and dedication within the peloton of cyclists – all riding to make cancer history – was incredibly invigorating. Perhaps most extraordinary though was the huge number of volunteers working to support the cyclists. It was due to their hard work that the PMC was such a wonderfully organized and inspiring experience.”

PMC 2006 Facts

4,270 riders

2,400 volunteers

$26 million raised

190 miles

PMC 2005 — A Second Attempt

Barry Davis has a great 2005 PMC story to share.

For Barry, a veteran PMCer, the 2005 ride took a bit longer than usual to finish.

Here’s his story:

2005 started out just like every other year, fundraising and training for the PMC.

Except for a new bike. I upgraded my bike to a Felt F65. Things were going well from the start of the ride in Sturbridge when I started to hear and feel a clicking sound as I approached the Masonic Home Rd turn, 6 miles out of Sturbridge.

A quick exam of the bike revealed a cracked and bent left pedal arm. After getting a ride by a PMC safety vehicle to Oxford Center to meet up with my family, my family transported me to the bike shop across from the MMA entrance. At the bike shop, I called every bike shop along the south shore to see if I could get a replacement. No luck. My bike was so new to the market that replacement parts weren’t out there, so I was out of the event.

My family and I were vacationing after the event on Cape Cod. During this time, I felt guilty about not putting my body through the difficult 192 miles. Guilty because I remembered what they both went through during there final days and the pain they were in. Guilty because I felt I got off easy this year.

So, I came up with the idea of riding the 192 miles by myself so as to keep a promise of completing as much of the route as I physically could. 6 miles wouldn’t cut it for me this year.

I didn’t know the middle third of the route, so I called PMC Road Safety Coordinator Allen Eyden to see if I could obtain maps of the middle third of Day 1 of the Sturbridge route. He did four better. Allen organized 4 teams of PMC Road Safety crews to get me from Sturbridge to Provincetown in 2 days.

So, on the weekend of October 1 & 2, 2005, I would be riding what is now known to be my PMC Second Attempt ‘05. Allen Eyden, Al and Janice Homer, Kevin and Cheryl Carlsen, Paul Fahey and Joanne Butler, all took another weekend out of their busy schedules and performed their normal Road Crew duties and got me from Sturbridge to Provincetown. These people directed me, turn for turn, every inch along the route.

But the story doesn’t stop there. The night before I started my Second Attempt, I was staying at the Sturbridge Fire Dept as I usually do on the Friday night before the event, when my best friend, my brother in life, Mark D’Agostino of Syracuse stopped in to wish me good luck. He was going to the Patriots game with his 3 brothers on Sunday. He surprised me by asking for my help in bringing his bicycle into the fire station. He was going to join me on Day 1.

Not only did I receive help from the road crew members, but fellow PMC’er Matt Dillis arranged to have his sister, Valerie Souza, set up his personal lunch stop at Valerie’s house at mile 64 of the route.

After only making it 92 miles, we all gathered at a hotel in Onset to reminisce about the days ride. During this time, Kevin Carlsen, a bike mechanic noticed something odd about my bike. The right chain stay had pulled off the bottom bracket. I was riding a broken frame. I had noticed difficulties in accurate shifting while training for and during the second attempt. No wonder.

Well, Kevin had the fore thought of asking what size frame I had and brought a backup bike, a $5,000 Axiom Seven. So that night he got the Seven ready for me to use the next day.

The surprises didn’t stop there. Matt Dillis met me at the start of the canal bike path and rode to PTI with me. Al Homer and his friend and fellow PMC’er Jim joined in the surprise wagon by meeting up with Matt and me at the Cape Cod Community College water stop to ride to PTI together.

With all these surprises, the route of the PMC did get to me. Because I was off the bike for 4 weeks while I was waiting for the replacement pedal arm to arrive, I could not get back all of the training I had done prior to the event. This cost me twice as I cramped up and ended my riding day on day one at mile 92 and during the last 5 miles along Race Point.

But I didn’t stop. I was going to make it to PTI even if I had to crawl to the finish line. When I did, my final surprise was waiting for me. My road crew, a few of their friends, and my children where there to greet me as I crossed the finish line.

I had done it. I completed the 2005 PMC. I wasn’t required to do so, but I felt guilty by not doing so in August. I fulfilled my own self-obligation to put my body through the difficulties of the event.

Nearly 20 people were involved in getting me from Sturbridge to Provincetown, although I was prepared to do it alone. I made many new friends that weekend.

But most of all, I learned one valuable thing over this weekend: the PMC is a family that helps out its own. The PMC is not just about the bike and the money, but about the heart. The caring hearts of thousands of people that care enough to make a difference in people’s lives. People afflicted with cancer, or a single soul trying to keep a promise to his loved ones lost to cancer.

Words can not completely express my deepest thanks for what each and every one involved in my Second Attempt did to make this happen.

Barry Davis and his Road Crew at the PMC finish Oct. 2, 2005

30 Years in 30 Weeks — 2005

In honor of the 30th anniversary Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the PMC blog will take you on a ride through history. Today we continue 30 years in 30 weeks with a look back at the PMC in 2005. We’ll coast through the event’s history, featuring a new year each week, as we lead up to the 30th annual ride on Aug. 1 and 2.

Check out past 30 Years in 30 weeks posts here. Send your PMC story to Stephanie@teakmedia.com

30 years in 30 weeks 

2005

Over the years the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge has fostered an environment that has renewed love interests and sparked many new relationships. Riders and volunteers have found their soul mates and strengthened their bonds through the event. There have been engagements on the PMC route and plenty of PMC love connections. Here are some of our favorite PMC love stories.

Toby and Petra

In 2005, one first-year PMCer carried an engagement ring along with him for 150 miles of cycling.

Toby Provencal, 29, asked his cycling buddy and girlfriend of six years, Petra Dollet, 26, both of Hudson, NH, for her gloved hand in marriage just as they crossed the Wellesley finish line.

Dollet and her sister rode in the 2004 PMC.  Provencal volunteered to ride with Dollet this year when her sister said she could not. He carried the ring with him while riding for two days, with the intention of proposing if they finished. Provencal said riding the PMC and fundraising were symbolic of their collective ability to set goals and overcome challenges.

“Finishing the PMC together is an indication that we can get through anything as a team,” Provencal says.

Toby and Petra

 

Damon and Jeanne

Damon Vaughn, a cancer survivor, and Jeanne Griffin cycled their way through a long courtship that culminated with an engagement in 2006 and a wedding in 2007.  It all began in 2003 when Griffin and Vaughn met at a pre-event PMC fundraising banquet. They met again on the road, during PMC weekend, months later.

“We just ran into each other the entire weekend,” said Griffin.  “I definitely had a crush on him.” After the ride, Griffin contacted Vaughn through his PMC webpage to see how he was recovering. They then began training together for the 2004 PMC. A long friendship, centered on their mutual love of cycling, eventually led to more than just a friendship. The autumn after the 2004 PMC – now 18 months after their initial meeting – Vaughn told a friend, who told a friend, that he was starting to feel more for his cycling buddy than just friendship.

“I found out at the PMC 25th Anniversary Gala.  It was a black tie dinner.  We both went with other people, but he ended up driving me home,” Griffin said. They married after the 2007 PMC and although they were told that it may be difficult to have children, they now have two children.

Vaughn Family

 

Barbara and Michael

Barbara was embarking on her second PMC ride in 1990, when she met Michael Epstein. Michael had no clue what the PMC was or why Barbara would bike more than 190 miles. “Nevertheless, I knew very well that if the relationship was going to continue, Michael would have to get his ass on a bike seat sooner than later,” Barbara said.

By 1991, the couple is going strong and Barbara signed Michael up to ride alongside her in the PMC. “It was an incredible experience for Michael and one that he knew he’d have to repeat,” she said.

When 1992 rolled around, Michael was prepared. He tucked a bottle of champagne and an engagement ring into his duffle bag that was being transported from Sturbridge to Bourne and then to Provincetown. He wanted to finish the ride before he popped the question. Exhausted after completing the grueling ride, he got down on one knee and proposed.

Their PMC love story continues, said Barbara, who rides for the 19^th year this year. “In some way or fashion the PMC has been and continues to be a big part of our lives after all these years. We have three children who have all grown up knowing all about the PMC weekend and what we do,” she said.

PMC 2005 Facts

3,883 riders

2,222 volunteers

$23 million raised

190 miles

New PMC PaceLine

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge has launched a new fundraising tool, called the PMC PaceLine. It’s a new way for riders to link up with their supporters and it’s a way for everyone who supports the PMC to become a virtual part of the ride.

PMC PaceLine

Here’s the story:

Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Extends Online Fundraising, Engaging Donors to Become Fundraisers 

PMC PaceLine^TM  to Increase Money Raised for Cancer Research

NEEDHAM, Mass. — The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the most successful athletic fundraising event in the nation, has developed a unique online fundraising system that will empower its cyclists to reach more financial contributors to cancer research.

 Combining the viral nature, speed and connectivity of social networking with the personalization and storytelling of blogging, the PMC PaceLine ^TM empowers riders – and now donors – to personalize their contributions with messages about why they ride and why they contribute financially to cancer research.  In addition, the system allows contributors to “join the PMC Paceline” and become virtual cyclists and fundraisers themselves for the cause. The goal is to engage donors to become fundraisers too, while making it easier for all contributors and riders to spread the PMC message and mission across the globe and increase the sum the PMC will contribute to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the end of the 2009 campaign.

This week, the PMC PaceLine  will go live for cyclists registered to ride in the 30^th annual Pan-Mass Challenge. The PMC is set for Aug. 1 and 2, when more than 5,000 cyclists will come from 36 states and eight countries to ride up to 190 miles in the two-day event.  Since its 1980 inception, the PMC has raised nearly $240 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC raises and contributes more money to cancer research than any other athletic fundraising event in the nation. It is also among the most efficient, annually giving 100% of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund.

But this year, and this economy, challenge even the sharpest and most innovative of nonprofits, says PMC Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr. “The PMC PaceLine is virtual and a virtually endless online cycle that allows donors to saddle up behind riders and connect more personally to the PMC, the Jimmy Fund and to the cause of raising money for cancer research,” Starr said. “Now when PMC riders ask friends to contribute to their fundraising campaigns, they can ask them to donate in the name, memory, or honor of someone they love or have lost. Every donor who joins the PaceLine is personified with an avatar that can be personalized with different colors for the helmet, biking shoes, and rider jersey and an icon that symbolizes the reason behind the gift. There is no minimum fundraising commitment for those who join the PMC PaceLine, and donors can choose to contribute and personalize the gift, without also joining the PaceLine and seeking contributions from others. Most importantly, 100% of all donations will go directly to fund groundbreaking cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber through its Jimmy Fund. 

 “The PMC PaceLine asks riders to engage their donors, and donors to engage other donors, to join on an endless chain of cyclists around the globe raising money for cancer research,” Starr said.

The system was built in conjunction with Crunch Brand Communications, a Boston-based brand marketing firm, and MWare, Inc. as way to help PMCers overcome today’s economic challenges.  “Social networking and social media were built on personalization,” said Crunch Brand President Ted Schlueter. “Our goal is to put personalization to work to raise money for cancer research.”

The PMC PaceLine was not the PMC’s first entre into viral or online fundraising. In 2003, well before Facebook, the PMC website enabled PMC cyclists to create their own fundraising profiles complete with a photo and profile story about why they ride. The site also enabled page viewers to instantly make electronic donations to the cause, which are more cost efficient than contributions made by check or cash.

 Check out Paceline at pmc.org

For more information on Crunch Brand Communications, visit  crunchbc.com or call 617-241-5051.

 

30 years in 30 weeks — 2004

In honor of the 30^th anniversary Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the PMC blog will take you on a ride through history. Today we continue 30 years in 30 weeks with a look back at the PMC in 2004. We’ll coast through the event’s history, featuring a new year each week, as we lead up to the 30^th annual ride on Aug. 1 and 2.

Check out past 30 Years in 30 weeks posts here. Send your PMC story to Stephanie@teakmedia.com

30 years in 30 weeks

2004

2004 marked the 25^th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.

Coincidentally, it was also the same year the Red Sox won the World Series after 86 painful years.  Maybe having the PMC 25th anniversary logo on the Green Monster for six weeks of the baseball season had something to do with the team’s success?

The PMC celebrated its own success in 2004, donating $20 million to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute thanks to more than 3,700 riders and 2,200 volunteers. That record breaking donation was 20 percent more than the year before and was twice as much ever contributed to a charity by an athletic fundraiser in the country.

More than 1,000 members of the PMC community celebrated at a beautiful 25th anniversary gala,  held a the then brand new Boston Convention and Expo Center, where the $20 million donation was unveiled and presented to Dana-Farber. Guests also had the chance to have their photo taken with the Red Sox World Series trophy.

“The evening was memorable – like the event itself,” said PMC founder Billy Starr said in 2004. “It was very poignant for many people, particularly those who have lost loved ones to cancer. It is overwhelming when you understand the impact this kind of money might have on accelerating the cures for cancer.”

Starr also received his own honor at the 25th anniversary celebration when Dr. Edward Benz, DFCI president, awarded Starr the Sidney Farber Medical Research Award. The award recognizes those who make an exceptional contribution philanthropically, scientifically, or legislatively to reduce the burden of cancer on society. In receiving the award, Starr joined prestigious honorees Sen. Edward Kennedy and the Boston Red Sox.

 

PMC 2004 facts

3,762 riders

2,200 volunteers

$20 million raised

190 total miles

PMC in the News

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is full of amazing riders and volunteers who all have wonderful stories to share.

Meet some of our riders (and support them in the PMC at www.pmc.org) as they have been featured in some prominent local media coverage:

Brothers Anthony, 22, Matt, 20, and Mike, 16, will ride the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge in honor of their father, Tony, 52, a two-time nasal cancer survivor who was treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I was pretty young the first time my dad was diagnosed so I didn’t really understand, but the second time was much harder,” says Matt. “My siblings and I helped out a lot and we had family members chip in, but my mom, who is an angel, was able to take care of my sick father while raising seven children.” Read about the Galluzzo’s in the Eagle Tribune and watch their story on NECN.

Corrine McCabe is a first time PMCer, riding one year after her daughter, Kayleigh, bravely beat cancer and was PMC Pedal Partner. They had such a great experience as a Pedal Partner family, Corrine decided to join Team LEGS this year. Read her story in the MetroWest Daily News.

The Boston Globe featured this heartwarming story about PMC Kids Ride star Emma Zeiger, who remembers her dad through cycling and fundraising.

Another PMC kid is all grown up. Read this story about Ryan Wilkinson, who started the first kids ride in his hometown. Ryan is headed to college this fall.

The Daily News Transcript reports on this new PMC team, called Team Vlad. A group of doctors, nurses and staff from Brigham & Women’s will ride and raise money in honor of their mentor, Dr. Vlad Formanek, who is battling cancer. And here’s more on Team Vlad from NECN.

30 Years in 30 Weeks — 2003

In honor of the 30^th anniversary Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the PMC blog will take you on a ride through history. Today we continue 30 years in 30 weeks with a look back at the PMC in 2003. We’ll coast through the event’s history, featuring a new year each week, as we lead up to the 30^th annual ride on Aug. 1 and 2.

Check out past 30 Years in 30 weeks posts here. Send your PMC story to Stephanie@teakmedia.com

30 years in 30 weeks

2003

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge and the Red Sox became partners in 2003, but the connection between the two organizations was interwoven long before.

Long before he became the Red Sox CEO, Larry Lucchino was fighting a battle with non-Hodkin’s lymphoma. Lucchino was living in Maryland in 1985 and  was head of the Baltimore Orioles when he was diagnosed. He looked for the best cancer treatment center he could find. He came to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and was treated by Dr. Lee Nadler. Today, he credits Dr. Nadler with saving his life.

Dr. Nadler has been a PMC rider and supporter for 10 years and has raised nearly $134,000 for research and cancer treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

It was only natural for the Lucchinos, and then the Red Sox, to get involved with the PMC when they came to Boston in 2002 and Lucchino become the team’s president and CEO.

In 2002, Larry Lucchino was a guest speaker at the PMC opening ceremony and his wife Stacey rode in her first PMC, alongside Dr. Nadler.

Larry Lucchino

When it was time to think about the 2003 PMC, the Red Sox stepped up to the plate. The year also marked the 50^th anniversary of the Red Sox partnership with the Jimmy Fund.

“To commemorate this milestone and further intensify the Red Sox’ commitment to cancer research, the Red Sox Foundation made the single largest donation in its history by contributing $1.4 million to the PMC over two years,” Larry Lucchino wrote in the PMC yearbook. The team became the PMC’s presenting sponsor.

It was the first time a professional sports franchise became a presenting sponsor of an amateur event.

Furthering the Red Sox’ commitment to the cause, the organization formed Team 9, named for the legendary Ted Williams. Captained by Stacey Lucchino, Team 9 included Red Sox front office staff and players’ wives who rode in the PMC and raised money for the Jimmy Fund. The team has grown ever since.
The first ever PMC Night at Fenway was celebrated in July 2003. A group of PMC veterans and cancer survivors, called the “Fenway 24” were chosen to ride on the field at Fenway Park during the pregame ceremony.

The Fenway 24

The 24 survivors marked the 24 years of the PMC. With the Green Monster looming above and in front of 36,000 fans, the Fenway 24 cycled around the warning track just before Dr. Nadler and Dana-Farber President Edward Benz threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

 

Warming up to throw out the first pitch

A few months later, the PMC was back at Fenway for an off-season celebration.  The Red Sox hosted the 2003 Check Presentation Ceremony right on the field at Fenway Park. The record-breaking $16.2 million donation to the Jimmy Fund was presented by Billy Starr to Benz while standing on first base. PMCers got to take a swing in the batting cage and tour the historic ballpark.

Billy presents the donation to Dana-Farber

 

PMC 2003 facts

3,584 riders

1,900 volunteers

$16.2 million raised

190 total miles

30 Years in 30 Weeks — 2002

In honor of the 30^th anniversary Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the PMC blog will take you on a ride through history. Today we continue 30 years in 30 weeks with a look back at the PMC in 2002. We’ll coast through the event’s history, featuring a new year each week, as we lead up to the 30^th annual ride on Aug. 1 and 2.

Check out past 30 Years in 30 weeks posts here. Send your PMC story to Stephanie@teakmedia.com

30 years in 30 weeks

2002

Before January 2002, Anita Bekenstein, Pam Washek and Jean Seiden were Wayland neighbors, mothers to a total of 10 children, and Pan-Massachusetts Challenge cyclists who rode both for the sport and their desire to raise money for cancer research. Each says they’d been blessed with good lives, healthy children, secure family lives and they were compelled to show their appreciation by helping others.  They never thought the “others” they would be helping included themselves.

It was only weeks into 2002 when Seiden, 44, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Bekenstein and Washek were among the first people she informed; they were there for her immediately and in every way, as good friends are.

Bekenstein, who had always wanted to start a PMC team from Wayland, called Washek and together they turned their concern into a PMC team in their friend’s honor.  “We rallied together to do something positive during a very upsetting time,” Bekenstein says. Team Jean was born and Wayland residents began signing up en mass.

“I didn’t want the team to be about me,” Seiden says. “When I was first diagnosed, I was focused on just my cancer, and my issues, but it was through the inspiration of Team Jean that I was able to redirect my focus and I understood how we could all use this to help others.”

And then lightning struck twice. Pam Washek, 37, learned that a shoulder pain she’d tended for years was not a sports injury. It was synovial cell sarcoma.

“When Pam was diagnosed we were all in shock,” Bekenstein notes. “Pam was our team co-captain; she wasn’t supposed to get cancer. The randomness of it all hit home pretty strongly.” Bekenstein recalled a birthday party they’d had for Jean soon after her breast cancer had been diagnosed. “Jean had said, ‘I’m just the first among us.’ We knew she was right, but we didn’t expect the next case to be so soon or for Pam to be the next victim.” The team slogan instantly became “We’re Ridin’ For Jean Seiden and Pedaling For Pam.”

To Washek, the diagnosis felt like the brakes locked into place while she was pedaling hard in high gear. “My life came to a screeching halt,” Washek says. “The thing about cancer is that it’s not just about you. It affects your whole family, your friends and your life every day throughout the process.”

Seiden and Washek banned together and were supported by their many teammates. They turned their radiation treatments into an opportunity to train and, joined by many Team Jean members, they rode 40 miles round-trip from Wayland to Boston for their periodic treatments. Showing up in the waiting room in their red “Team Jean” shirts with biking gear in hand, the women served as role models for the many other cancer patients awaiting their own treatments. “It gave them strength to see us show up in our biking gear,” Washek said. “We weren’t going to sit around sympathizing; if we felt strong enough to ride, we rode.”

Washek scheduled her surgery for the first week in August so she could ride in the PMC and join Seiden on stage at the Wellesley start where she addressed 1,300 riders as they set off to Bourne. “Months ago,” Seiden told the riders, “my only connection to cancer was through others – their pain, their sickness, their survival or death. This disease would NEVER touch me personally because I was too young, too healthy, too much of a mom to be bothered with cancer. There was no history of cancer in my family tree. My husband had already dedicated his career to fighting this disease through research and clinical care; I was surely immune to this possibility.”

The women of Team Jean in 2002

Seiden’s address highlighted the many connections the women’s cancers had ignited. Over the months, meal chains were formed ensuring that feeding their families would be one responsibility they could shed while recovering from chemo and radiation treatments. Babysitting support was prevalent, offers to run errands plentiful.

Oh yes, and then there are the financial contributions that the team’s efforts brought to the PMC. Team Jean raised more than $500,000 for life saving cancer care and research to help make up $15 million gift in 2002 to the Jimmy Fund.

Jean Seiden lost her battle with cancer in October 2006. She rode the PMC six times while undergoing treatment for cancer.  Pam Washek has been cancer free for five years and will ride in 2009 in memory of Jean. Since its inception in 2002, Team Jean has raised $2.4 million for cancer research and treatment.

 

PMC 2002 facts

 3,396 riders

1,878 volunteers

$15 million raised

190 total miles

First NECN live Opening Ceremony

Virtual Rider introduced

More PMC Kids Rides this weekend

PMC Kids Rides are underway all over Massachusetts and beyond. And behind every ride is a personal story.

Like the story of the Hayes family of Bedford.

Cassi 13, Meaghan 11, and Mikey Hayes, 8, are all involved in this year’s PMC Bedford Kids Ride. They want to raise money to fight cancer in honor of their father, Michael Hayes, 46, who was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in the spring of 2008.

“We made the decision to keep the kids in the loop from the get-go,” says Anne, Michael’s wife and mother of the three Hayes children. “We wanted to be up front with them about everything, and when the opportunity came to get them involved in the PMC Bedford Kids Ride, they jumped at the chance to be a part of it.”

The children, along with many of their friends, rode with Michael’s name on their bikes.  Together the three kids raised more than $4,000 for the 2008 PMC Bedford Kids Ride in their dad’s honor. In the summer of 2008, Michael underwent painful radiation and chemotherapy.  When he began to lose his hair, the Hayes children decided that since it was going to fall out anyway, they should be able to style it for him.

“We took polls and suggestions through email and gave him racing stripes along the sides of his head and a wavy Mohawk before Meaghan did the honors of shaving him bald,” says Anne. “We laughed our way through it together.”

Ultimately, Mike had to have surgery to remove the affected lymph nodes on his neck. Staples were used during the initial healing process that left a 10-inch scar on his neck

“We did our best to make light of the situation whenever we could,” says Anne. “We called him ’Franken Daddy‘ and held a contest with our neighbors, friends and family. The one to come up with the coolest back story for the scar would be named the winner.”  A friend of the family cast the winning entry: The story would be that Michael had turned himself into a human PEZ dispenser.

Michael got the “all clear” report following his surgery in January.  He has returned to work and is doing well.  He will be riding alongside with the kids as a route leader during Saturday’s ride.

“I know it means a great deal to Michael that the kids are riding for him,” says Anne. “The community in Bedford has just been amazing we couldn’t have made it through this without them. Now, for them to see us all at this Saturday’s ride, healthy and doing well means to world to us. We will make sure that this event is a staple on our family calendar for many summers to come.”       

The Bedford PMC Kids Ride will be held Saturday June 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at John Glenn Middle School. More than 400 children are expected.

Also pedaling this weekend on the way to meeting a $1 million kids ride fundraising goal are children from Bolton, Concord, Hingham, Exeter N.H., and Lawrenceville, N.J.

Here are the details:

Bolton is hosting its 4^th PMC Kids Ride, expecting more than 150 children, ages 2-14, to ride to raise money for the PMC. The ride will be at the Florence Sawyer School on Sunday, June 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Three routes present mileage for different riding abilities.

Concord will have its PMC Kids Ride at the Middlesex School on Sunday, June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. These young riders, ages 5-15, will have a choice of one of the four routes, up to a max of 15 miles. A party with music, refreshments, a kid’s art show, and more will be hosted after the ride.

Exeter, N.H. is having its 2^nd annual Exeter/Statham PMC Kids Ride for riders ages 3-13. The ride will be at Timberland Industrial Park from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.

Hingham expects more than 500 young cyclists for its annual PMC Kids Ride on Sunday, June 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Hingham High School. These riders, ages 3-15, will have a choice of three routes up to seven miles long.

Lawrenceville, N.J. will have its 2^nd annual PMC Kids Ride this Sunday, June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Lawrenceville School for children ages 2-12 years old.  After the ride, there will be refreshments, music, activities and more.

Billy Starr Honored with Nonprofit Leadership Award

BOSTON (June 8, 2009) – The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network presented its Leadership Award to Pan Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr in recognition of his 30 years of leadership that has made the PMC the most successful athletic fundraising event in the nation.  The June 8 Statehouse ceremony was attended by Governor Deval Patrick and Attorney General Martha Coakley as well as state representatives and members from some of the state’s most recognized nonprofit organizations. 

Billy Starr and State Representative Lida Harkins.

The ceremony was held on the second annual Nonprofit Awareness Day, instituted in 2008 and signed into law by the Governor to officially recognize nonprofit organizations and underscore the fact that nonprofit organizations employ  14 percent of Massachusetts’ work force.

Starr’s selection was unanimous among the judges, according to MNN spokesperson Heather Hartshorn. The PMC’s efficiency, its 100 percent charity pass through rate, and that it raises and contributes more money to charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the county, were among the reasons Starr was honored for his leadership.

The PMC celebrates its 30^th ride on Aug. 1 and 2, 2009. Since its founding in 1980, the PMC has raised and contributed nearly $240 million to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute though its Jimmy Fund. Billy Starr was a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry, which today generates $2 billion for health and human services organizations around the nation. The PMC has become known as the “gold standard” of athletic fundraising events.

Starr is known for his ability to motivate people and to attract successful organizations to the PMC. He sought out the sponsorship of the Boston Red Sox and Overstock.com, both of which have become multi-million dollar partnerships over many years. Starr instituted a policy by which riders had to secure their PMC participation with credit cards so that even if they were not able to ride or raise the fundraising minimum, they would be personally accountable to contribute the sum owed. This was a bold move back in 1996. It was Starr’s philosophy that participating in the PMC was a fundraising effort, and if all went right, fundraisers were entitled to a great bike ride as well. This attitude – put the charity first – is Starr’s mission, message and modus operandi. It’s what separates the PMC from other a-thons and what has enabled the PMC to become so successful.  From the start, Billy Starr never took his eye off the bottom line of raising money for cancer research.

The loss of his mother, uncle and cousin to cancer motivated Starr, then 29, to establish the PMC. He’s ridden in and fundraised for the PMC every year since. In addition to running the organization and bringing in sponsorship dollars, Starr has personally raised more than $1 million for the PMC. Billy Starr walks his talk.

The MNN is a statewide association of nonprofit organizations that supports the nonprofit sector through advocacy, public awareness and capacity building. Established in 2007, the Nonprofit Network has grown to more than 500 members.

The Awards were judged by Laurie Dopkins, senior research associate, program coordinator, Northeastern University School of Social Science; Donna Haig Friedman, center director and research associate professor, University of Massachusetts Boston; Kristen McCormack, executive-in-residence, lecturer, faculty director, Boston University Public and Nonprofit Management Program; Melissa Morriss-Olson, graduate school dean, professor of Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy, Bay Path College.

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About the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge

Now in its 30^th year, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry and today raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. In 2008, the PMC raised $35 million, and since 1980 it has raised nearly $240 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC, an annual bike-a-thon that spans up to 190 miles, is a model of fundraising efficiency. In 2008, the PMC donated 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. The PMC generates half of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and it is Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. Some 240,000 individual contributions were made in last year’s fundraising campaign. The PMC is sponsored by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and Overstock.com. The 2009 PMC will be held on August 1 and 2. For more information about the PMC, visit pmc.org or call 800-WE-CYCLE.