Cheers to local residents who will be bicycling this weekend to raise money for the fight against cancer.
On Aug. 4 and 5, more than a dozen cyclists from Derry and Londonderry will be among the 5,000 participating in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the nation’s largest charity bicycling event. The benefit ride, now in its 33rd year, supports adult and pediatric cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The goal this year is to raise $36 million.
The Pan-Mass Challenge gives 100 percent of every dollar riders raise directly to the Jimmy Fund.
Participating cyclists can choose from 11 routes of varying mileage depending on their level of ability. There are six two-day routes, ranging from 153 to 190 miles, and also five one-day rides ranging from 25 to 110 miles.
Six members of the Galluzzo family of Londonderry will participate in the ride.
Three Galluzzo brothers, Anthony, Matt and Mike, will ride again to honor their father, Tony, and his brother Joe. Both men were diagnosed years ago with a rare nasopharyngeal cancer.
John Galluzzo was the first to ride in the PMC in 1992. Since then, he said, the family has participated in one form or another to honor those within the family who have beat cancer, and also the families and individuals they have met through the years along the PMC route.
“Each year, you get to know more and more people stricken with cancer,” Galluzzo told reporter Julie Huss. “You also see many saved. These are some of the nice positives.”
Scott Davidson of Derry will ride for the first time this weekend, honoring an uncle and eight close friends who battled the disease.
“I was thinking about doing it for a couple of years,” Davidson told Huss.
When his family day-care provider’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3, Davidson decided it was time to ride.
“You just feel helpless,” Davidson said.
The Pan-Mass Challenge gives 100 percent of every dollar riders raise directly to the Jimmy Fund.
Other local riders include Julie Boyle, Shanon Gruchot, Kelly Hamilton, Tom Hilse, Beth Ann Roberts, Michael Roberts, Stacie Street, Steve Street, Julia Wasserman, and Peter Wasserman, all of Londonderry; and Laura Charewicz of Derry.
Completing the Pan-Mass Challenge takes a great deal of dedication for amateur cyclists, many of whom are unaccustomed to the distances involved. Their willingness to combine the training needed to be successful as well as the effort needed to solicit donations is commendable.
Well done to all who participate in this worthwhile cause.
Cheers as well to those involved in an annual program in Derry to teach children about gardening.
For the fourth year, members of the Derry Garden Club are working to get the children of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Derry outside and digging in the dirt. The project has kids at the East Derry club planting, watering and harvesting their own fruits and vegetables.
Recently, it was time to harvest beans under the supervision of garden coordinator Blanche Garone.
Shawn Murphy, 10, proudly displayed some of his wax beans.
“I was the one who planted these,” he said.
Garden club member Corinne Safron told reporter Julie Huss this year’s garden was successful due to good amounts of rain and just the right temperature and enough sunshine.
“It’s really done well,” she said. “It looks like a pretty good year for everything.”
So far, peas, beans and zucchini have been harvested from the garden.
This program not only provides children with a supply of nutritious vegetables today, it teaches them an appreciation of cultivating nature’s bounty that can last a lifetime. Kudos to the Derry Garden Club for their support of this worthwhile program.
