Jon Chase, 56, of Ridgefield, CT, is a committed PMC veteran determined to make a difference in the cancer fighting community. A senior VP and financial advisor at Merrill Lynch’s Nuland Chase Financial Group, Chase has raised more than $633,000 to date for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institutethrough The Jimmy Fund by riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge.
Chase has been involved with the PMC since 1986, when the event was in its early days. After his first year as a PMC cyclist, Chase was hooked and quickly became more involved with the organization as a returning rider and volunteer. In addition to riding and raising tens of thousands of dollars for the cause, Chase volunteers as the PMC’s financial advisor, ensuring the funds the organization raises are properly invested for capital maximization. He also helped to elevate the PMC’s merchandise program, assisting with the ordering, shipping and selling of t-shirts, tank tops, hats, sweatshirts, bags, shorts and other gear that bares the signature PMC logo.
Not stopping there, Chase got his wife, Cindy, involved as the organizer of the more than 100 massage therapists who volunteer their time during PMC weekend to give free, 15-minute massages to cyclists at the finish lines. While growing up, Chase’s son, Matt, and daughter, Amanda, interned at the PMC. Matt, now 27, still takes a week off from his job the week before the PMC each year to volunteer in the annual bike-a-thon’s warehouse, organizing products and food that need to be shipped to points along the PMC’s 11 routes.
“I am inspired by the research and treatments conducted by doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their commitment to finding a cure,” says Chase. “My goal is to raise a collective $1 million for the PMC within the next few years to help doctors, patients and supporters achieve this effort.”
At least half of Chase’s donors are his New York and Connecticut-based clients who annually contribute to his campaign. This year, Chase’s fundraising efforts are critical, as they will go to the Erica Kaitz LMS Research NOW Fund at Dana-Farber, which is set up to directly fund research for myxoid leiomyosarcoma (LMS), an extremely rare or “orphan” cancer suffered by fewer than 100 people in the US. On Aug. 3 and 4, he rode the 190 mile PMC route from Sturbridge to Provincetown in the 34th annual event. He will continue to ride and raise funds for the PMC and its mission, a cause that has become a part of his family and is close to his heart.
Interested in purchasing the latest PMC gear? Visit the PMC’s online store. You can support Jon Chase, or another PMC cyclist or team, here.
From left to right: PMC veteran and volunteer financial advisor Jon Chase and his daughter, Amanda.
