Pan Mass Challenge: a 2-day, 192-mile, cancer fundraiser cycling event from Sturbridge, Massachusetts to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod

To Those Nearest and Dearest,

For the sixth consecutive year I am writing to you about inspiration, strength, and courage. I am writing to you about sadness and suffering. I am writing to you on behalf of family and I am writing to you on behalf of friends. For the sixth consecutive year I am writing to you. And for the sixth consecutive year I would rather not.

I am once again participating in the Pan Mass Challenge: a 2-day, 192-mile, cancer fundraiser cycling event from Sturbridge, Massachusetts to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod. And though this is something I state to you with pride and commitment, it is something that I would prefer was unnecessary. The fact is, however, that the Pan Mass Challenge is extremely necessary.

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), 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. The organization was
founded in 1980 and has since raised $270 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency. In 2009, for the
third consecutive year, the PMC donated 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. The
PMC generates more than half of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue and it is Dana-Farber’s single largest
contributor. Over 250,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign.

On August 7th, I along with almost 5500 other riders from 36 states and 8 countries, some of whom will be cancer survivors and current patients, will begin the 2 day trek to Provincetown in a collective effort to carry out the continued initiative of the PMC and meet this year’s fundraising goal of $31 million.

As with last year, I anticipate the 2010 PMC will prove to be challenging when it comes to meeting this financial goal. Many of us have endured continued economic hardship, and simply making ends meet has proven difficult. Finding the extra financial resources to enjoy the pleasures of life or making charitable donations may have been impossible. So with that in mind, it is with the humblest of intentions that I reach out to you today and ask, yet another year, to join me in my efforts. We often hear the words “every little bit counts” but tend to dismiss them as overplayed optimism. The fact is, however, that every little bit really does count. The $270 million raised over the last 30 years is the sum, a very large sum, of many many little bits. And these are bits that have been able to make significant strides in the fight against cancer. These are life altering bits to which we owe progress in research, expansion and effectiveness of treatment options, and the presence of survivors in our lives.

So to each of you out there, I offer my commitment to carry on with these efforts. I cannot take away your pain or restore your loss, but I can participate in this event and attempt to bring about change and offer hope for the future. I am certain I will get help from the 5500 other riders who will be there with me, and I am certain that, just as in years past, I will get help from each of you reading this letter. Please be a part of this with me and keep me true to my word. Any contribution, be it financial or by way of encouragement, is critical to our success. Every little bit counts.

My ride this year will again be dedicated to all of the survivors in my life... my family, my friends, my neighbors. I will ride for them as they have lived for me; with strength, determination, and a positive spirit. To those we’ve lost, the world is not the same without you. I will ride in your memory.

I will also ride with each of you alongside me. A ribbon with the name of all those in dedication will adorn my bike again this year. Please send me the names you would like me to carry on my journey. It will be an honor to be guided by such strength.

It is with the utmost appreciation that I thank you in advance for your help.

With love and gratitude, Jennifer Ferrara

Donation Options

INTERNET: Visit www.pmc.org/egifts/