January 18, 2005
Four Thousand Cyclists from Around the
World to Ride for Cancer Research
The 26th Annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is August 6 and 7, 2005
4,000 cyclists from 35 states and six countries will ride across the Commonwealth in the 26th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) on Aug. 6 and 7. Their collective goal is to raise $21 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund and bring the total PMC contribution to the fight against cancer to more than $143 million.
The PMC is so well-known in cycling and fundraising circles that each year people travel from all over the world to participate. Cyclists chose between six different routes, which range from 89 to 192 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, riding for a unified goal. More than 200 PMC cyclists are cancer survivors. Thousands of riders have lost loved ones to the disease. Still more ride in honor of those in treatment.
Connecting athleticism to charitable fundraising was a new idea in 1980 when PMC Founder Billy Starr and 35 of his friends rode across Massachusetts and raised $10,200 for cancer research. Today, athletic events raise $1 billion each year, funding crucial programs at health and human service organizations across the country. The PMC leads the pack. The bike-a-thon raises and contributes two, three, and four times more money to charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the US. It is also the most efficient. In 2004, the PMC gave 97 cents of every rider-raised dollar to the Jimmy Fund. The PMC's 3,762 cyclists raised a record $20 million in 2004, the year the event's presenting sponsor, the Boston Red Sox, won the World Series. "Just like in baseball, every spring we begin again," Starr says.
The PMC fundraising minimum is $2,000 and $3,000, depending on the route chosen, yet the average PMC cyclist raises $5,100. This commitment to the fundraising portion of the PMC journey is a testament to riders' dedication to the cause and their belief in the PMC mission. Hundreds have been members of the PMC family for more than 20 years. The PMC averages an annual 70 percent rider retention rate, and registration for most routes closes within weeks of opening each January because of the high demand. From organizing luggage to unloading trucks to cooking meals and manning water stops, more than 2,000 PMC volunteers fill jobs that are typically paid positions, thus enhancing the event's efficiency and culture of giving.
For a quarter century the PMC has blazed the path in terms of contributing money to its designated cause. The PMC is nationally recognized as a model in fundraising efficiency. "The PMC has made what we do at Dana-Farber possible," says Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "When they write the history of how cancer was conquered, the PMC will be in chapter one."
GROWTH:
The numbers of riders and dollars contributed have increased dramatically each year since 1980.
| YEAR | RIDERS | CONTRIBUTION |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 36 | $10,200 |
| 1985 | 472 | $250,000 |
| 1990 | 980 | $1.3 million |
| 1995 | 1,715 | $3.5 million |
| 2000 | 2,847 | $12.5 million |
| 2003 | 3,584 | $16.2 million |
| 2004 | 3,762 | $20 million |
| 2005 | 4,000 | $21 million GOAL |
