A member of the Tubman family has been riding or volunteering in the Pan Mass Challenge since 2008. This amazing charity raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through an annual bike-a-thon that crosses Massachusetts. Circle Furniture is proud to have had a team of riders and volunteers participating in this event over the past eleven years. Beyond riding, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we also transport the bikes of Team Lick to Sturbridge and have furnished the lobby of the Pan Mass Challenge HQ in Needham. So, you could say, we're committed.

The 40th PMC took place on August 3rd and 4th with a goal of raising $60 million dollars. The following is a note from one of our fearless leaders, Peggy Burns, The Queen Bee:

A few weeks have gone by and I can finally sit back and take a breath after riding in my 6^th PMC. Every year, I say I'm never going to do it again. And yet every January, I find myself signing back up. I never thought I could ride a bike for two days and for that many miles; in fact, if anyone suggested I would have thought they were crazy.

But once you commit, everything changes. Nothing matters except focusing on completing the ride. I'm fortunate to have a generous family, friends, and work-family to support my ride. I was especially lucky to have our visual merchandiser, Brian Bechard, build me a beautiful table that we're selling and donating to the cause.

After a while, you hear so many people telling you how amazing you are for riding that many miles and you start to believe it. The truth is, you get on the bike, you start riding, and with the support of people cheering and holding up signs that say "Thanks to Dana-Farber, I'm alive today," the ride gets easier.

I'm so fortunate to ride with my husband, son, daughter, and son-in-law"”two of which are former patients of Dana-Farber. It's an incredible experience that's hard to say no to year after year when your adult children make you cry and say, "Mom I'm so proud of you."

To learn more about how the dollars raised are used to seed research at Dana-Farber check out this video:

And for further inspiration, here is a Ted Talk from Dr. Jay Bradner, formally of Dana-Farber, about open-source cancer research.

Thank you to all the riders and volunteers!