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BOSTON (Aug. 3, 2017) – With nearly $1.5 million raised in support of the fight against cancer since 2008, Burns & McDonnell’s Team Courage Coneheads will join 6,200 people to pedal up to 192 miles from Sturbridge, Mass., to Provincetown, Mass., during the 2017 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC).
Getting its name from the small orange safety cone each team member displays on his or her riding helmet, Team Courage Coneheads has grown to more than 30 riders and is backed by friends, colleagues, community partners and family. This year, the team will ride in its 10th consecutive PMC in honor of those they’ve lost, those who are fighting and those who have won the battle against cancer.
“The Pan-Mass Challenge is the most incredible cause I’ve been a part of,” says Rob Young, founder of Team Courage Coneheads and Burns & McDonnell regional Environmental Services manager based in Wallingford, Conn. “It bands together the entire community to support and bring strength to those affected by cancer.”
Young initiated Team Courage Coneheads in 2008 with five riders, inspired by his desire to help find a cure for cancer. Young lost his father to the disease more than 20 years ago and has spent his life fighting back through his environmental work and involvement in organizations supporting cancer research.
“The disease stole so much from my father and my family, so I am passionate about finding a cure. I chose a career in environmental science because I realized at a young age that products being used daily could negatively impact the general population. At Burns & McDonnell, I’m fortunate to help clients design and develop environmentally-friendly projects, while also fighting cancer through giving back initiatives supporting organizations like the PMC,” says Young.
Founded in 1980, the PMC gives 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. To date, the PMC has raised more than $595 million for Dana-Farber. The bike ride raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country and has set a goal to raise $48 million in 2017.
Team Courage Coneheads is dedicating its ride for the third year to 17-year-old Raphael (Raffy) Edwards of Brockton, Mass. When Raffy was 2-years-old, doctors discovered a large brain tumor requiring immediate surgery. After the surgery, they learned his tumor was a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. For more than a decade, Raffy underwent chemotherapy, radiation and four additional surgeries. Today, the team celebrates Raffy being free of cancer and treatment for the first time since he was a toddler.
About Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 5,700 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune’s 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.
About the Pan-Mass Challenge
The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) is a bike-a-thon that today raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the world. The 38th PMC will take place on August 5 and 6, 2017. The PMC was founded in 1980 by Billy Starr, who remains the event’s executive director, an annual cyclist, and a fundraiser. The PMC has since raised $547 million for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The event donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. The PMC generates more than 52 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and is Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. The PMC has successfully melded support from committed cyclists, volunteers, corporate sponsors and individual contributors. All are essential to the PMC's goal and model: to attain maximum fundraising efficiency while increasing its annual gift. The PMC’s hope and aspiration is to provide Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers. For more information on the Pan-Mass Challenge, log onto www.pmc.org.