June 19, 2008
Three generations of Smiths turning PMC gears
Local family riding, volunteering and raising money for the Pan-Mass Challenge
Rescheduling family vacations and get-togethers during the first weekend in August is not uncommon for the Smith family. The date has been a staple on the family calendar, reserved for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), a two-day, 190-mile bike-a-thon, that raises money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. Newton resident Nancy Smith, who is 70-years-old and the PMC's eldest female cyclist, will ride 84-miles in the one-day Wellesley to Bourne route. Her daughter and former PMC cyclist of five years, Deborah Smith, will volunteer at the Dighton-Rehoboth lunch stop over PMC weekend, and five-year-old Nathaniel Smith, who is Deborah's son and Nancy's grandson, rode in his second PMC Natick Kids Ride this June.
The family tradition started in 1991 with Nancy Smith, who at 53-years-old was an avid cyclist and a mother of three grown daughters. She had heard about the PMC through friends and colleagues and committed to riding in honor of her father, who had been battling bladder cancer for nearly 15 years.
"I was hooked after my first ride," says Nancy Smith. "It felt important to do something in his name." Her father died five months later.
In 1992, after losing her grandfather to cancer and other close friends to the disease, Deborah Smith joined her mother on the road for a cure.
"I was surprised by how much people wanted to give, whether it be time or money," says Deborah Smith. "There is no other fundraiser like the PMC. It is superbly organized, and as a cyclist all you have to do is raise money and ride, the volunteers do everything else for you." This year, Deborah has chosen to volunteer instead of ride, so she will be free to proudly cheer on her mother as she completes her 15th PMC this summer.
"The ride has changed so much over the years," says Nancy Smith. "The number of riders has quadrupled, and the organization continues to get better every year. The one thing that hasn't changed is the tremendous energy back and forth between the riders and volunteers."
To date, Nancy has raised more than $76,000 for the PMC, and this year she hopes to bring her total contribution to nearly $85,000.
Nancy's latest fundraising competitor is her five-year-old grandson Nathaniel Smith, who raised more than $300 for his PMC Natick Kids Ride by writing letters to family members and hosting a lemonade stand in his driveway. Nathaniel made two of his goals this year. The first was to match his last year's fundraising total of $300 and the second was to ride without training wheels.
"It's the loyalty and commitment from families like the Smiths that make the PMC such a success," says Billy Starr, PMC executive director and founder. "We are counting on our young PMCers to carry the ride into the next generation."
"I hope he catches the PMC bug like the leading ladies in his life," says Nancy Smith. "It really is an exciting cause to be a part of."
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
The PMC is a pioneer in the athletic fundraising event industry and today raises more money for charity than any other in the country. On August 2 and 3, 2008, 5,500 cyclists will travel seven routes, logging between 47 and 190 miles over one or two days, through 46 Massachusetts cities and towns. Their collective goal is to raise $34 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. Since its 1980 inception, the PMC has raised more than $204 million for the cause. The PMC is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and Overstock.com. For more information about the PMC, call 800-WE-CYCLE or visit www.pmc.org.
Contact
Katie Stinchon
Teak Media
(617) 269-7171
katie@teakmedia.com
