Pan-Mass Challenge

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) is a fundraising bike-a-thon started in 1980 by Billy Starr to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute via the Jimmy Fund.[2][3] It raises more money than any other single athletic fundraiser in the country.[4]

Pan-Mass Challenge
FormationAugust 1980 (1980-08)
FounderBilly Starr
TypeAthletic fundraiser
PurposeFundraising for cancer research and care
HeadquartersNeedham, Massachusetts
Staff (2019)
11
Volunteers (2019)
4,000[1]
Websitepmc.org

History

Starr created the Pan-Mass Challenge in 1980, several years after his mother contracted melanoma.[2] In its first year, the event raised $10,200 and had 36 riders, who rode from Springfield to Provincetown.[5][6] The PMC was the first athletic fundraiser to require participants to guarantee their pledges with a personal credit card,[7] a change that caused riders' delinquency rate to fall from 17 percent to 3 percent.[8] The 2019 Pan-Mass Challenge, its 40th annual event,[9] featured more than 6,800 participants and raised $63 million, the single largest donation in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's history.[10]

Notable past riders in the PMC include three-time Super Bowl champion Troy Brown,[11] Joshua Bekenstein (a PMC board member), Dana-Farber CEO Laurie Glimcher,[12] Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Boston mayor Marty Walsh,[13] restaurateur Jody Adams,[14] former Secretary of State John Kerry,[15] Nobel laureate William Kaelin,[16] Senator Scott Brown,[17] Judge Samuel Zoll,[18] Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne,[19] and football player Joe Andruzzi.[20]

Format
Cyclists riding in the 2011 Pan-Mass Challenge.

Each August, cyclists ride for one or two days, on one of 12 routes ranging from 25 to 192 miles long[21] running through 47 Massachusetts towns.[22] The longest route runs from Sturbridge to Provincetown.[6] Some teams have "Pedal Partners", children who are currently receiving cancer treatment via the Jimmy Fund.[23][24][25] Riders commit to raising between $600 and $8,000, depending on the route they will be riding.[2] As of 2015, 75 percent of riders had previously participated in the event, and 1,100 had participated for 10 years or more.[26]

The PMC Winter Cycle event occurs every January since 2016. In 2018 and 2019, it was held inside Fenway Park.[5][27] In 2019, the event featured 900 cyclists on stationary bikes and raised $400,000.[27]

Local PMC Kids Rides are held throughout the year.[28][29][30]

Impact

The PMC generates 55% of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue as of 2019 and is the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's single largest donor.[22][31] From 1980 to 2019, the event has raised a total of $717 million. This funding has been directed to cancer care and research, including helping fund the development of 41 cancer drugs.[32] Since 2007, 100 percent of the money raised by riders goes to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with all event overhead funded by sponsors, entry fees, and other income.[33][6] In 2018, 200 sponsors provided $7 million in support.[34]

Since its inception, the PMC has inspired various other athletic fundraising events that followed it, like Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society and Pelotonia for the James Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio.[6] As of 2019, the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum ranked the PMC as the 10th-largest "a-thon" fundraiser,[35] and the PMC grosses more than any other single event fundraiser.[26]

References
  1. "Who We Are". Pan-Mass Challenge. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  2. Eppolito, Sophia (4 August 2018). "'To cure cancer, you need to do research' — so these cyclists are funding some". Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  3. Miller, Mary Helen (20 July 2011). "Pan-Mass Challenge: How cyclists raise the most money for charity". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  4. Huss, Julie (3 August 2017). "Pan-Mass Challenge cyclists ride to support Dana-Farber". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  5. Whelan Jr., Tim (26 January 2018). "Wellesley resident Billy Starr set to bring first ever indoor cycling event to Fenway Park". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  6. Ailworth, Erin (3 August 2014). "The soul of a money-collecting machine". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  7. Lindsay, Drew (1 March 2015). "Billy Starr Means Business". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  8. Halpern, Joe (23 March 2018). "A memorable ride: Pan-Mass Challenge founder Billy Starr shows no signs of slowing down". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  9. Browning, Kellen (3 August 2019). "Pan-Mass Challenge aims to raise $61m for cancer research in 40th ride". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  10. "Pan-Mass Challenge raises $63M for Dana-Farber". Associated Press. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  11. "Pan-Mass Challenge Riders Hit Massachusetts Roads For A Good Cause". CBS Boston. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. Brown, Lillian (7 November 2018). "Pan-Mass Challenge celebrates record-breaking year". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  13. Corsano, Erica (10 May 2015). "Social Studies: Garden party grows into a blooming bash". Boston Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  14. Murphy, Jen (29 July 2013). "Boston Chef Digs In to Ride for Charity". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  15. Ducharme, Jamie (7 August 2017). "John Kerry Rode in the Pan-Mass Challenge This Year". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  16. Weintraub, Karen (12 September 2016). "Cancer researcher wins prestigious honor". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  17. Schoenberg, Shira (17 July 2012). "U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to ride in Pan-Mass Challenge". MassLive.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  18. Dalton, Tom (27 April 2011). "'The most honest person I ever met'". The Salem News. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  19. "Pan-Mass Challenge Raises Record $63 Million for Dana-Farber". Philanthropy News Digest. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  20. "PMC Kickoff: Former Patriot Joe Andruzzi". NECN. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  21. Halpern, Joe (5 November 2018). "Pan-Mass Challenge raised record $56M for Dana-Farber this year". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  22. "Pan-Mass Challenge to include Winchester residents". Wicked Local. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  23. "PMC Community". Pan-Mass Challenge. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  24. Havsy, Jane (30 July 2019). "NJ riders take on Pan-Mass Challenge bikeathon against cancer". Daily Record. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  25. Rex, Kristina (3 August 2019). "Pictures Of Children Battling Cancer Along Route Motivate PMC Riders". CBS Boston. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  26. Bailey, Melissa (23 November 2015). "How a bike-a-thon raised half a billion dollars for cancer". Stat. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  27. Bisbee, Dana (22 February 2019). "PMC Winter Cycle". The Improper Bostonian. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  28. "PMC Kids Rides". PMC Kids Rides. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  29. "2019 Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride set for June 2". South Coast Today. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  30. "Natick PMC Kids Ride May 5". The Metro West Daily News. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  31. Hrywna, Mark (21 November 2018). "Cycling Fundraisers Set New Marks". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  32. Reyes, Max (19 October 2019). "Dana-Farber receives record $63 million donation from Pan-Mass Challenge". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  33. Soroff, Jonathan (13 January 2017). "Starr Power". The Improper Bostonian. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  34. Halpern, Joe (2 August 2018). "Pan-Mass Challenge primed for record run as corporate sponsors ride on". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  35. "Events Fundraising Down, But Recovering Slightly". The NonProfit Times. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.