Pan-Mass Challenge Celebrates Record-Breaking $47 Million Gift For Cancer Research
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Pan-Mass Challenge celebrated their record-breaking gift of $47 million to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Sunday.
The organization held a brunch honoring the riders and supporters who contributed to the fundraising milestone at Boston's Legal Harborside restaurant.
On August 6 and 7, more than 6,200 riders took part in the Pan-Mass Challenge, with some riding over 192 miles. Those riders commit to raising between $500 and $7,500.
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"Over 270,000 people made gifts to the PMC this year, and that money that we game, $47 million, represents over 52 percent of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue," said PMC founder and Executive Director Billy Starr. "So as we're fond of saying, there's a lot riding on us."
More than 500 of those riders were at the brunch Sunday morning.
"This group, we've got over 500 here today, they're remarkable," said Starr. "They raised big money, they know how to do it. They're leveraging the PMC brand, the Dana-Farber brand, and you know, people are very generous when it comes to raising money for cancer research."
The new record was $1 million higher than the goal the PMC had set for the year.
"I always knew it could be big, I really believed that in my heart," said Starr. "It's been a 37-year journey, so it is kind of like a dream come true."
WBZ-TV is the official station of the Pan-Mass Challenge.
