November 3, 2006
Pan-Massachusetts Challenge 'rookie' accepts record $26 million gift for Jimmy Fund
PMC founder and Executive director Billy Starr (left) and Red Sox President Larry Lucchino (right) hand Dana-Farber President Edward Benz, Jr., the $26 million dollar event check.
Despite his many titles and high position, Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, was just one of nearly 500 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) cyclists, volunteers, and supporters who turned out for the check presentation ceremony of the 27th annual PMC last Thursday night.
Before accepting the check for $26 million from Dana-Farber Trustee Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC, Benz said, "You don't get to be president of Dana-Farber without enjoying some success in your career, but this year, on Aug. 5 and 6, I got to join a society that means as much to me as any I've been elected to – the society of the PMC." Benz, who rode in the event this year for the first time, was introduced by Starr as a "rookie PMCer and a seasoned CEO."
The $26 million was more than twice the amount ever raised or donated to a charity by an athletic fundraising event other than the PMC itself anywhere in the United States. The gift represented more than 99 cents of every rider-raised dollar, and marked a $3 million increase over last year's effort. Since 1980, the ride has now contributed more than $171 million to Dana-Farber.
"Your phenomenal gifts have made possible the two main goals of Dana-Farber," said Benz during the Nov. 2 event, held at the Harvard Medical School Convention Center. "One is giving everyone diagnosed with cancer the best shot and support that we can do today, and two is to make sure that the future is a time when no one has to worry about cancer."
A living example of the progress being made came from four members of the Seacoast Young PMC team, formed in 1992 following the death of a member's spouse from breast cancer. Beth Bennett, an ovarian cancer survivor who had a recurrence of the disease in July, brought the crowd to its feet when she said, "I'm not sick. I am not a victim of cancer, and I'm not suffering from cancer. I'm living with cancer, and thanks in part to the work and research funded by the PMC, I plan to do so for a very long time."
Nearly 4,300 cyclists pedaled up to 192 miles in this year's ride. In addition to thanking the riders, volunteers, and his staff, Starr recognized the event's sponsors, which include the Boston Red Sox Foundation and Overstock.com as presenting sponsors, New England Cable News as the media sponsor, MFS Investment Managements as the sponsor of the Mass. Maritime Academy-Bourne Saturday night finish, and 159 in-kind sponsors.
As Starr noted, "While many initially join the PMC for the athletic challenge and because of the event's reputation, people stay involved and raise so much because they become a part of the PMC family, reaping the personal and spiritual benefits of participating in something greater than themselves."
– By Karen Cummings
