On Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4, 6,500 riders, including 46 residents from Cape Ann, will participate in the milestone 45th Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) with the goal of raising a record $75 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber).
This year, the PMC, which is Dana-Farber’s largest single contributor, will cross $1 billion in lifetime fundraising for the Institute.
“Thanks to the fierce determination of PMC riders, volunteers, donors and sponsors, I’m confident that this will be our biggest fundraising year yet,” said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC. “We’re well positioned to cross $1 billion in total donations for cancer research and treatment since I founded the PMC in 1980 – I am looking forward to cycling alongside everyone on the road in August as we hit this momentous achievement together.”
Cyclists come together from all corners of the world to ride between 25 and 211 miles—six countries and 44 states, territories, and districts—with one mission: to raise as much money as possible for Dana-Farber.
Most participate in honor of a family member or friend fighting cancer, and nearly 1,000 riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients, considered Living Proof® of the PMC mission. There are also 160 Dana-Farber employees committed to the cause as riders and volunteers, in some cases to fund their own cancer research.
Registration for this year’s ride is open through July 1 for the following routes:
As the #3 top-grossing peer-to-peer fundraising organization in the country, the PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to Dana-Farber to support cancer research and patient care, accounting for 62 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. For more than four decades, PMC funds have allowed Dana-Farber to achieve lifesaving clinical breakthroughs and advancements. In the last five years alone, Dana-Farber doctors and researchers have played a substantial role in developing more than half of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA.
The following riders will be making Cape Ann proud this year.
Manchester
Essex
Gloucester
Magnolia
The PMC was founded in 1980 by Billy Starr, who remains the event’s executive director, an annual cyclist, and a fundraiser. Through the Jimmy Fund, the PMC has since raised $972 million for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The event donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause, generating 62 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue as Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor.
