Thanks again for supporting the Pan Mass Challenge and my ride last year. This year, on Saturday and Sunday, August 2nd and 3rd, I’ll be riding in my 18th Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Fundraising this year is more important than ever, given the funding cuts to organizations (such as NIH) that provide Dana Farber with much needed financial resources.

I will be starting with 3,200 other riders in Sturbridge, MA, and ending in Provincetown, MA -- for a total of 192 miles. I have established a fundraising goal of $15,000. I would appreciate your help in sponsoring me to reach this goal. 100% of every dollar that you donate will go to Dana-Farber. Yes, 100%. Everything about the PMC can be found at www.pmc.org.

I am dedicating my ride this year to the memory of Debby Armer, the wife of a very close high school friend of mine, Alan Armer. Debby fought a long and courageous battle with melanoma, and was supported by Dana Farber, but passed away in 2024. Alan will be riding with me in this year’s PMC.

This will be my third year riding as part of Team Kermit. Team Kermit was started 17 years ago by Steven Branfman who lost his son Jared to pediatric brain cancer. Kermit's theme “It's not easy being green” became Jared's mantra and helped him endure and even laugh through the often grueling treatments. Over the course of the past 16 years, Team Kermit has grown to over 70 members and has raised over $8 Million. These funds support the cutting edge research being done by the Bando Lab at Dana Farber. These treatments are saving children's lives. Jared could be treated if he was diagnosed today. You can learn more about the lab at https://bandolab.org. You can also listen to Dr. Mark Kieran, Former Director, Pediatric Medical Neuro-Oncology, and the former administrator of our fund, talk about the advancements that have been and are being made because of your support: https://vimeo.com/217691250

And please use the following link to learn more about the overall impact of the monies that the PMC raises - www.pmc.org/impact.

To participate in my fundraising, log onto my PMC fundraising page (https://profile.pmc.org/IG0005), click the “Donate to my Ride” link on the top right side of the page or any of the Support My Ride links on the left side of the page. Donations can be made by credit card, Venmo, the donation of stock (or other appreciable assets) through the website or by a check (made out to PMC and sent to me at 99 Ox Bow Road, Weston, MA 02493). Employer matching gifts are encouraged, and the process is explained on the web site. If your company does have a matching program that you will be using, please let me know so I can follow the paperwork through the PMC system.

Last year the PMC raised $75 Million in this 2-day event -- resulting in a grand total of over $1 Billion raised since the event was stared in 1980. This year a $76 Million goal has been established – and we all hope to substantially exceed that figure. It is a daunting amount, but with your help, we can make it happen.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best,

Irwin