The meaning behind the team’s name and fundraising strategy
Twenty eight years ago, Robert Young, of Collinsville, Conn., was sitting in Sunday mass when his late father, Robert Sr., a local Boy Scout leader, collapsed standing at the altar. Young, now 39, was in fifth grade when tests revealed his father had both lung and testicular cancer. Sixteen years later, after remission and relapse, Robert Sr. was gone.
In honor of his late father, Young began riding 190 miles in the PMC in 2008. He is now captain of Team Courage-Coneheads, a group of 26 PMC cyclists, all of whom are colleagues, clients or friends of Burns & McDonnell, an international engineering, architecture and consulting firm where Young is a Northeast Regional Manager of Environmental Studies & Permitting.
With more than 30 Burns & McDonnell office locations, Team Courage-Coneheads will engage in a number of fundraising strategies across the country to ensure the group reaches Heavy Hitter fundraising status. From filling empty water jugs with pennies in each office location, to creating custom jewelry and selling team jerseys covered in sponsorship logos, to brewing their own IPAs and Pale Ales to serve at private fundraising events, there is no stopping Young and the rest of Team Courage-Coneheads from helping as many people as possible who have been affected by cancer.
The team’s original name was Team Courage in honor of the people and their families who are fighting cancer every day. The second portion of the team’s name, Coneheads, was added after a team member strapped an orange cone to the top of his helmet so that other cyclists could find him along the route. “The look has become our signature brand and we are easy to spot during PMC weekend,” said Young.
This year, the team hopes to raise $167,500 to support adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This will bring the team’s overall fundraising total to more than $500,000 for the PMC.
To learn more about Team Courage-Coneheads and other PMC teams visit pmc.org. Registration to ride or volunteer is now open.
Post courtesy of Teak Media + Communication
