It’s that time of year again.  Though for us, it feels like it’s always that time of year.  The truth is the Pan Mass Challenge is a year-round event for us. Robin spends the winter and spring recruiting and fundraising for the team she captains at work, Team PTC, which this year has raised more than $67,000 for the Jimmy Fund.  We register for the event in January.  Training usually starts in April, with morning rides at 5:45.  And at this point in the year we ride at least 26 miles every morning (as long as it doesn’t rain).  Now we can finally turn our attention to our own personal fundraising. 

Why do we do this ride year after year? Well, that’s easy.  We do it because we can.  We are physically capable and we have a strong support network. We do it for our family and yours.  We do it for our friends and your friends.  There’s no shortage of cancer diagnosis - nearly 1.4 million people will be diagnosed this year - but fortunately there’s no shortage of riders, either.  So as we embark on our 20^th year of participation in the PMC, we look to you for support.

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) is the largest single fundraising event for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund, contributing 62% of all funds raised. On the weekend of August 7-8, we will join more than 5,400 bicycle riders and 2,000 volunteers in the 31^st annual PMC by riding 190 miles across Massachusetts, through more than 20 cities and towns.

In 2009, PMC cyclists raised $32 million.  100% of every dollar raised by riders went directly to the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org). Since 1980, the PMC (www.pmc.org) has contributed more than $270 million, which finances research in its earliest stages.  Known as "seed money," PMC contributions support the most pressing needs and promising developments at Dana-Farber. In so many cases, this early support has fostered the development of some of the most important advances made in cancer research over the last two decades. Recent advances have made possible the use of precise, tailored therapies to attack a growing number of cancers at the molecular level, yet personalized cancer treatments remain the exception and not the rule. Dana-Farber is poised to change this.

Our goal is to exceed last year's contributions of $20,000, but we need your help.  If you’ve sponsored us in the past, please consider increasing your donation.  If this is your first year contributing, please consider a minimum donation of $75.  Sponsorship is easier than ever using the PMC’s secure server at https://www.pmc.org/egifts �" just enter one of our eGift IDs (RS0022 or SS0020) and your credit card information. Or, simply fill out the slip below and send us your donation in the enclosed self-addressed envelope. We can accept donations until the end of September 2010.

Each mile pedaled, each dollar raised brings us closer to a cure for cancer.  For our friends and yours, we are proud to be part of this challenge. Please help us help the Dana-Farber achieve Mission POSSIBLE. Make your contribution today. 

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