Shrewsbury/Grafton Pan-Mass Challenge Helps Kids Make a Difference

Fundraising efforts are picking up steam for the Shrewsbury/Grafton Pan-Mass Challenge Kids Ride, which gives local children an opportunity to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber.

One team, the Grafton Kindergarteners, has already raised more than $1,700.

"This event is open to children between the ages of 3 and 13 and is an excellent opportunity for our little ones to help raise money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber," said Maureen Maiuri, one of the committee members. "It is a great way to teach kids about philanthropy, as well as put them in touch and in control with family/friends impacted by cancer."  

The bike-a-thon, one of 38 in the New England area, will be held 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, May 5, starting from the UMass South Street Campus, 333 South St., Shrewsbury. There is a $10 registration fee and a $25 fundraising minimum. Organizers are expecting 150 children riders.

Last year, more than 4,500 kids in 35 PMC Kids’ Rides across the state raised more than $829,000. 

The original PMC Kids Ride sprouted as a grassroots effort in 1998 when 13 children rode around their Medfield neighborhood 25 times and raised $1,600 for the PMC. During the past 13 years, PMC Kids Rides have continued to form throughout New England and beyond as parents and children invite neighbors with tricycles, training wheels and two-wheelers to get involved. The PMC Shrewsbury-Grafton Kids Ride was started by local high school students Casey Wagner and David Millette, who will ride alongside their fathers from Sturbridge to Bourne in the Pan-Mass Challenge on Aug. 3.

To give the young cyclists an additional push, the PMC recognizes cyclists in the Kids Rides program who raise $250 or more. Riders who meet this goal are honored as Heavy Hitters and receive an official PMC hat, certificate and sticker to place on their helmets to acknowledge their fundraising achievements. 

The Shrewsbury/Grafton ride hopes to raise $15,000.

Contributions can be made payable to the Pan-Mass Challenge. To register, visit http://kids.pmc.org. For more information, call 508-962-3087.