January 28, 2008
Team Kevin Fitz rides in memory of state rep to raise money for cancer research through the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
If Kevin Fitzgerald was alive today and knew of the plans his friends and family were making to ride in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge in his memory, he'd likely be proud of them for working together to do something that benefits others.
Bringing people together to help others was, in fact, the mission of Fitzgerald's fruitful 57 years; He served the people of Mission Hill as their state representative from 1975 to 2001.
In October 2007, when he lost a year-long battle with sarcoma, more than 7,000 people attended the wake.
Team Kevin Fitz was started by Boston Police Officer Ward Johnson, who serves on year-round bike patrol throughout the City of Boston, and whose wife, Karen, was Kevin Fitzgerald's secretary for more than 20 years. Johnson, who had ridden in the PMC twice before says that starting a PMC team in Fitzgerald's memory was the natural thing to do. "Kevin never said no to anyone," Johnson says. "The PMC is very inspirational. Everyone who has ridden in the PMC knows it's a great way to help others, and that's what Kevin did throughout his life."
The PMC is the most successful athletic fundraising event in the United States. With 5,500 cyclists who come from 36 states and six countries to ride up to 190 miles across the state, the PMC raises more than twice the amount of money as any other athletic fundraising event in the country. It is also among the most efficient; 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to cancer research and treatment at the Jimmy Fund.
Team Kevin Fitz is being led by Kevin's younger brother Danny FitzGerald, chief perfusionist in Cardiac Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. In his PMC fundraising profile, FitzGerald wrote: "Kevin's life shined brightly for a lot of people, and his passing has left some of us in the dark, so we will ride. We will ride out of frustration with the lack of effective treatment and pain control. We will ride because we felt helpless. We will ride for those medical professionals who so compassionately tried to make a difference. We will ride with the hope of making a difference ourselves."
Team Kevin Fitz is made up of more than a dozen people of all ages and stages in life. "Brothers, nieces, nephews, friends, cousins, sons, and others who were touched by Kevin are on the team," says FitzGerald. Everyone who knew Kevin Fitzgerald knows what a difference he made in their lives and each has a story.
For example, Boston City Councilor Michael Ross, who represents Mission Hill, the same district that Kevin Fitzgerald represented as a state representative for 26 years, has recently joined Team Kevin Fitz.
City Councilor Ross credits Fitzgerald for introducing him to the world of public service. When Ross was a boy, his father, Stephan Ross, solicited Kevin Fitzgerald's assistance in getting the Holocaust memorial built in Boston. The men had worked together on a youth activities commission, and Ross needed the political establishment to help make the memorial a reality, Councilor Ross says. Plus, the men were connected in another way, which they kept relatively private. Fitzgerald's father, Bernard, was a World War II veteran and a liberator of the concentration camps, a part of his life he rarely spoke about. Ross's father had been incarcerated in 10 concentrations camps over five years, beginning when he was nine years old. "Kevin helped the Holocaust memorial become more than a Jewish memorial," Ross says today.
Kevin's influence in Michael Ross' young life led him to follow in his path. "There was no better person to help me learn what public service was all about," says Councilor Ross. "Kevin was very good at what he did. He always knew what to do and what not to do. He had a way about him, a great way of communicating that helped people understand. He was a real special human being. I learned from the best."
Team Kevin Fitz has raised more than $26,000 for cancer research to date, but they have two months until PMC weekend and two months after that to continue fundraising. Each member of the team must raise between $1,300 and $4,000 to ride in the PMC, but the team's goal is to raise "as much money as possible" for cancer research, FitzGerald says. To that end, Team Kevin Fitz is hosting a fundraising party on June 10 from 5:00-8:00 at The Mission, a bar in Brigham Circle. Cost is $25 at the door. All proceeds will go to the Team Kevin Fitz' PMC Fundraising Campaign.
About the PMC
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon, is a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry and today raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. In 2007, the PMC raised $33 million, and, since 1980, it has raised more than $204 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency. In 2007, the PMC donated 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. The PMC generates half of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue and it is Dana-Farber's single largest contributor. More than 230,000 individual contributions were made in last year's fundraising campaign. This year's goal is to raise $34 million. The PMC is sponsored by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and Overstock.com. For more information about the PMC, visit pmc.org or call 800-WE-CYCLE.
Contact
Jackie Herskovitz
Teak Media
(617) 269-7171
jackie@pmc.org
