HYANNIS – The Pan-Mass Challenge has made an historic $69 million dollar donation to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The record-breaking amount brings the organization’s total contribution to cancer research to $900 million since 1980.
PMC officials said that the money has funded the first CAR T-cell therapies approved by the FDA for indolent follicular lymphoma and multiple myeloma, among other initiatives.
PMC Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr said the challenge draws more and more support every year.
“People continue to be really generous. Over 300,000 people gave gifts this year. That’s also a record,” said Starr.
Each year the ride begins off-Cape and ends up in Provincetown.
Starr added that with the new PMC Unpaved, Winter Cycle, and Kids Rides programs, they will soon raise over $1 billion for cancer research.
“All of these are part of the PMC program, and all of them are in growth mode. Can we see a billion dollars coming? Yes, it’s going to come fairly early in 2024 and beyond as we kick off going to the second billion,” said Starr.
This year also marked the PMC’s return to a traditional format after two years of modifications due to COVID-19.