Happy New Year! What better way to celebrate the new year than to register for the 2012 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. Registration opens today for 2011 Heavy Hitters, the PMC's leading fundraisers. On Jan. 10 all PMC alumni are invited to commit to the 2012 PMC. Registration begins Jan. 17 for first time riders and will remain open to all until filled. Remember, routes do fill up. This year, PMC cyclists can choose from 11 different routes, each of varying mileage and fundraising requirements. There is a PMC ride for everyone. Volunteer registration will open in the spring. Join us as we ride toward a historic $36 million fundraising goal.
Here is more info from PMC Headquarters:
Pan-Massachusetts Challenge establishes record goal of $36 million NEEDHAM, Mass.— The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge has set an all-time high fundraising goal of $36 million for the 5,500 cyclists who will ride up to 190 miles on Aug. 4 and 5, 2012 in the 33rd annual bike-a-thon. The funds they raise will go to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund and bring the PMC's 33-year contribution beyond $374 million. "The PMC is unique in terms the money our riders raise each year," said Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr. "This group is passionate and committed. If any organization can reach this goal, it is the PMC." In 2011, PMCers raised and contributed $35 million to Dana-Farber, the largest sum ever raised by a single athletic fundraising event. On Aug. 4 and 5, 2012, cyclists – including Massachusetts Senators John Kerry (D) and Scott Brown (R) – will come from 36 states and eight countries to ride across the Commonwealth in the 33rd annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. The PMC family is made up of 5,500 riders, 3,300 volunteers and 240,000 donors. Connecting athleticism to charitable fundraising was a new idea in 1980 when Starr and 35 of his friends rode across Massachusetts and raised $10,200 for cancer research. Today, athletic events annually raise more than $5 billion, funding crucial programs at health and human service organizations. The PMC leads the pack and is the most efficient. PMC annually contributes 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is so respected in cycling and fundraising circles that people travel from all over the world to participate. Cyclists choose between 11 routes that range from 25 miles to 190 miles. The camaraderie shared by cyclists, volunteers, and supporters is among the PMC's greatest attributes. Doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute join their patients as teammates and ride for a unified goal. More than 300 PMC cyclists and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients. Thousands of riders have lost loved ones to the disease. Still more ride in honor of those in treatment. This summer, each cyclist commits to raising between $500 and $4,300 for the privilege of being a member of the PMC team. Ninety percent of all PMCers, however, exceed the minimum fundraising contribution and one-third raise more than twice the amount required. The PMC is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and the New Balance Foundation. Another 200 companies support the event through donations of goods, services, and money. The PMC is nationally recognized as a model in fundraising efficiency; it generates 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue and it is Dana-Farber's largest contributor. "The PMC has made what we do at Dana-Farber possible," said Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information about the PMC, visit pmc.org.
