Dear Family and Friends,
This is the last week of fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) and 100% of every
dollar donated will go directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for cancer research.
2024 is my 21st year as a PMC fundraiser, rider, and participant. Many of you have helped me
surpass $100,000 donated over that time. THANK YOU!
If you’ve given to me or other riders already, THANK YOU for your support! If you have not yet
given, please consider that cancer continues in our lives and when it affects an immediate
family member or close friend, it becomes very real. Thanks to Dana Farber (and many
other terrific research institutions) Hodgkin's disease is now very curable and my Mom, who
underwent chemo and radiation therapy in 2019, and is doing Great!
I ride with Team FLAMES. Our ride is to show direct support for the FLAMES Pedal Partners,
terrific kids and their families, as cancer is very real for them, and PMC funds impact the
research and protocols for their treatments.
Our 2024 Pedal Partner is Zoey Bollhardt. She turned 8 on June 8th. She and her family
(Dawn, John and sister Addison - live in Londonderry NH). Zoey has nearly completed
two years of treatment at the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund Clinic.
It's not the ride that counts, but rather the community participation and contribution to
fundraising to find a cure – a core annual event for our family. Alli, Catie, Lexi, and Mack have
all been Interns, ridden, raised money or volunteered with Cathi every PMC weekend. This year,
Alli was a PMC Intern from June thru August and Catie raised money and rode with me on
August 9 of the PMC weekend.
And during these last few days before the September 30 deadline for donations, I am in Idaho,
riding with friends and sporting each of 3 different PMC jerseys (worn in the photo by Catie,
me, and Alli).
If you are able to contribute this year, either to my campaign or to that of another
PMC fundraiser, I hope to hear from you before the September 30 deadline….
Click here to make a $500 donation
Click here to make a $250 donation
Click here to make a $120 donation
Click here to make a $60 donation
Click here to make a $30 donation
Click here to make a donation of any other amount
Click here to support my ride with a gift from your Fidelity Donor Advised Fund
...And back to the point of cancer being very real -- currently I “ride with” over 70 of your loved
ones – the names of your family members and close friends, in memory or survivors, pinned to
my jersey -- PLEASE let me know the name of one or two of your loved ones who have been
affected by cancer and who you would like to be recognized during my next ride.
My sincere Thank-you for your support!
Ken
Alternate Donation details...
Your tax-deductible donation may qualify for a matching donation from your employer.
1) Go to http://profile.pmc.org/KJ0025 or www.pmc.org and click on ‘eGifts'. Enter my name or
ID: KJ0025. At my user profile, you can both easily and safely make a credit card donation.
2) Or, send me a check: 28 Little Farms Road, Framingham, MA 01701, made out to ‘PMC'
My sincere Thank-you for your support!
Ken
------------
The following is the story of when I met Eric Leafquist (father of FLAMES 2004 Peddle Partner, Erica) during the PMC ride in 2015.
I started the 2015 PMC ride at Babson College, a mile from my home. I'd ridden since moving to Wellesley in 2003 and I had my pre-ride routine well-rehearsed. The night before I had pinned to my 2015 jersey the long list of loved ones (cancer survivors and memorials) that had been shared with me by my sponsors over the years.
As I dressed Saturday morning for the ride, I had this nagging feeling that the jersey was not right. I was only going to ride to Bourne and as part of team FLAMES I felt the need to wear a FLAMES jersey. I thought of wearing the 2015 FLAMES jersey but I did not want to pre-empt the Sunday ride when traditionally the annual team jersey's are worn. So I rummaged through my closet and had an inspiration when I saw the 2004 jersey (bright yellow with green and red streaming flames) -- by design, it reminds me most of team FLAMES. I pinned on the list of loved ones that would ride with me and the nagging uneasiness was gone.
I rode into Bourne and talked briefly with my son, Mack, a PMC volunteer, before finding my travel bag. As I was just about to enter the shower trailer, a man rushed up to me and said, I've been following you for the last couple miles of the ride. He then asked, Are you part of team FLAMES?, followed by, Erica, the peddle partner from 2004 whose name is on your shoulder, is my daughter. I responded that I had met her briefly in 2004 but I had not seen her since. He visibly quivered a bit and told me that she had passed away [in 2011, I believe].
Stepping away from the shower line I said, I'm so sorry.... If it's ok, you'll want to hear what happened to me this morning that led me to wear Erica's jersey. I told him of my strange uneasiness and the compelling feeling to wear a FLAMES jersey, especially the one I chose -- our meeting was meant to be and she had ridden with me for the day.
We then talked at some length about Erica and how grateful he and his family are for the additional years of life that the FLAMES and Dana Faber gave them together. He said that the efforts of the FLAMES were so important to them that Erica's 2004 jersey had hung in her room until her memorial service when they draped the jersey over her casket.
To me, this is a heart-wrenching story I think about very often -- no matter how it's told, the message, emotion, and inspiration come through --
Our Lives Matter, Our Contributions Have A Positive Impact.
Dear Family and Friends,
This is the last week of fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) and 100% of every
dollar donated will go directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for cancer research.
2024 is my 21st year as a PMC fundraiser, rider, and participant. Many of you have helped me
surpass $100,000 donated over that time. THANK YOU!
If you’ve given to me or other riders already, THANK YOU for your support! If you have not yet
given, please consider that cancer continues in our lives and when it affects an immediate
family member or close friend, it becomes very real. Thanks to Dana Farber (and many
other terrific research institutions) Hodgkin's disease is now very curable and my Mom, who
underwent chemo and radiation therapy in 2019, and is doing Great!
I ride with Team FLAMES. Our ride is to show direct support for the FLAMES Pedal Partners,
terrific kids and their families, as cancer is very real for them, and PMC funds impact the
research and protocols for their treatments.
Our 2024 Pedal Partner is Zoey Bollhardt. She turned 8 on June 8th. She and her family
(Dawn, John and sister Addison - live in Londonderry NH). Zoey has nearly completed
two years of treatment at the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund Clinic.
It's not the ride that counts, but rather the community participation and contribution to
fundraising to find a cure – a core annual event for our family. Alli, Catie, Lexi, and Mack have
all been Interns, ridden, raised money or volunteered with Cathi every PMC weekend. This year,
Alli was a PMC Intern from June thru August and Catie raised money and rode with me on
August 9 of the PMC weekend.
And during these last few days before the September 30 deadline for donations, I am in Idaho,
riding with friends and sporting each of 3 different PMC jerseys (worn in the photo by Catie,
me, and Alli).
If you are able to contribute this year, either to my campaign or to that of another
PMC fundraiser, I hope to hear from you before the September 30 deadline….
Click here to make a $500 donation
Click here to make a $250 donation
Click here to make a $120 donation
Click here to make a $60 donation
Click here to make a $30 donation
Click here to make a donation of any other amount
Click here to support my ride with a gift from your Fidelity Donor Advised Fund
...And back to the point of cancer being very real -- currently I “ride with” over 70 of your loved
ones – the names of your family members and close friends, in memory or survivors, pinned to
my jersey -- PLEASE let me know the name of one or two of your loved ones who have been
affected by cancer and who you would like to be recognized during my next ride.
My sincere Thank-you for your support!
Ken
Alternate Donation details...
Your tax-deductible donation may qualify for a matching donation from your employer.
1) Go to http://profile.pmc.org/KJ0025 or www.pmc.org and click on ‘eGifts'. Enter my name or
ID: KJ0025. At my user profile, you can both easily and safely make a credit card donation.
2) Or, send me a check: 28 Little Farms Road, Framingham, MA 01701, made out to ‘PMC'
My sincere Thank-you for your support!
Ken
------------
The following is the story of when I met Eric Leafquist (father of FLAMES 2004 Peddle Partner, Erica) during the PMC ride in 2015.
I started the 2015 PMC ride at Babson College, a mile from my home. I'd ridden since moving to Wellesley in 2003 and I had my pre-ride routine well-rehearsed. The night before I had pinned to my 2015 jersey the long list of loved ones (cancer survivors and memorials) that had been shared with me by my sponsors over the years.
As I dressed Saturday morning for the ride, I had this nagging feeling that the jersey was not right. I was only going to ride to Bourne and as part of team FLAMES I felt the need to wear a FLAMES jersey. I thought of wearing the 2015 FLAMES jersey but I did not want to pre-empt the Sunday ride when traditionally the annual team jersey's are worn. So I rummaged through my closet and had an inspiration when I saw the 2004 jersey (bright yellow with green and red streaming flames) -- by design, it reminds me most of team FLAMES. I pinned on the list of loved ones that would ride with me and the nagging uneasiness was gone.
I rode into Bourne and talked briefly with my son, Mack, a PMC volunteer, before finding my travel bag. As I was just about to enter the shower trailer, a man rushed up to me and said, I've been following you for the last couple miles of the ride. He then asked, Are you part of team FLAMES?, followed by, Erica, the peddle partner from 2004 whose name is on your shoulder, is my daughter. I responded that I had met her briefly in 2004 but I had not seen her since. He visibly quivered a bit and told me that she had passed away [in 2011, I believe].
Stepping away from the shower line I said, I'm so sorry.... If it's ok, you'll want to hear what happened to me this morning that led me to wear Erica's jersey. I told him of my strange uneasiness and the compelling feeling to wear a FLAMES jersey, especially the one I chose -- our meeting was meant to be and she had ridden with me for the day.
We then talked at some length about Erica and how grateful he and his family are for the additional years of life that the FLAMES and Dana Faber gave them together. He said that the efforts of the FLAMES were so important to them that Erica's 2004 jersey had hung in her room until her memorial service when they draped the jersey over her casket.
To me, this is a heart-wrenching story I think about very often -- no matter how it's told, the message, emotion, and inspiration come through --
Our Lives Matter, Our Contributions Have A Positive Impact.
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
