Dear Friends, Family, and colleagues,

Most of you have received my annual plea to support my ~300-mile Pan-Mass Challenge cycling event for many years…even decades. This year will be my 38th time clipping into my bike pedals and pushing the distance to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

So many of us are impacted by cancer and I know that all of us know how devasting it is. There is a balance to the most difficult impacts…when we see or hear about heroic battles where cancer is defeated or inspiration from those that pull together to do something about it.

My PMC story started in 1986 when a dear friend, Jon, asked me to sponsor him for his ride. I was the first sponsor that year on a hand-written “pledge sheet” and I donated $20 after he suggested that the first donation would set a bar for others. At the time, $5 and $10 donations were common. Each rider was required to raise $600 to participate in 1986. The following year, I was convinced to ride myself and started my 38-year (so far) pedal journey. With that, I have raised over $200,000.00 and since my mom passed away from Pancreatic cancer in 2012, I have committed to reach the “heavy hitter” fundraising level…roughly double the now $6000.00 rider minimum.

This year, I ride especially for my friend, ”PMC inspiration”, and teammate Jon, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma (brain cancer) this year and has soldiered through surgery, radiation therapy, and continues with chemo treatments. Jon is riding through this! This will be Jon’s 40th ride. With admiration, prayers and love, I also will ride for, and with, my teammate Dave, who will ride his 44th PMC while battling stage IV melanoma.

I am also riding for friends and relatives currently battling pancreatic and prostrate cancer. In part, my inspiration comes from my wife, Julia, who passed away 2 years ago. She was dedicated to Dana Farber and worked there to transfer cancer treatment discoveries to pharmaceutical companies when I met her over 30 years ago.

The stakes are much higher this year. There are now unimaginable cuts in federal grants provided through the National Institutes of Health, and medical research grants to universities like Harvard. Potential cures for cancer and other diseases are materially impacted by this across the country, and certainly at Dana Farber (a Harvard teaching hospital).

I know from friends in treatment that grant submissions to support research in finding cures for cancer will probably be put on hold or denied. Years, even decades, of research may be shelved or shuttered permanently as a result. The funds raised by the PMC cannot make up for federal cuts, but the importance of the PMC is elevated as a result.

Last year, many of you were part of over 270,000 supporters contributing to the PMC’s gift of $75 million making up 66% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and donating over $1 Billion to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) since 1980.

The PMC’s 2025 fundraising goal is $76 million. My personal goal for the PMC weekend in August is $13,000.

Once again, Team Huckleberry and I will begin our extended weekend at the NY/MA border riding the extra 100-mile Huck ride (August 1) to the traditional Sturbridge start, then on to Bourne on Saturday (August 2) and finishing at the Provincetown Inn on Sunday (August 3). In all, it's almost 300 miles of cycling across Massachusetts over three days. With all the registered cyclists and volunteers, and thousands of people cheering us on along the routes, we will be able to share that feeling of community with everyone on the PMC weekend!!

If you would like to sponsor me, please click on one of SUPPORT MY RIDE buttons on the left.

After completing your donation, you will be asked if your company has a matching grant program. Please consider this as well as it increases the impact of your generosity.

If you would prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to: Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, noting PMC ID: TT0002 in the lower corner, and mail it to:

Tom Tinory

28 Willson Road

Princeton, MA. 01541