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Community Corner

The PMC Kids Ride Is Coming to Andover, Wilmington in May

WILMINGTON, ANDOVER, Mass. – This spring, the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) Wilmington-Andover Kids Ride will be one of 37 PMC Kids Rides throughout New England and beyond. In 2013, the PMC Kids Rides program attracted nearly 4,700 cyclists, ages 2 to 15, who rode between one and 26 miles in mini bike-a-thons to raise money for cancer care and research.

The PMC Kids Rides are spokes in the PMC wheel, joining the more than 5,500 adult PMC cyclists in their mission to fund adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a two-day, 190-mile bike-a-thon held the first weekend of every August. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $414 million for the Jimmy Fund.

PMC Kids Rides offer a way for children to become part of the PMC mission, involving young people in volunteerism and fundraising in a safe and athletic way. Since the first ride in 1998, The PMC Kids Rides program has raised more than $5.5 million.

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To provide the young cyclists with 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 sack pack and certificate to acknowledge their fundraising achievements. 

The PMC Wilmington-Andover Kids Ride expects 150 children, ages pre-k to sixth grade, to ride one-mile loops around Boutwell, West, and Wilmington Middle Schools on Carter Lane in Wilmington. Carter Lane will be closed to all traffic during the event.  The event was started by Sue Hendee and Carolyn Priem. Hendee is a physical education teacher in Wilmington and 24-year PMC cyclist. Priem’s son is a cancer survivor who was treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute when he was a toddler.  For the fifth consecutive year, the ride will be dedicated to Lyndsey Pettengill, a local pediatric cancer patient. Pettengill is a four-time cyclist and is designated the ride’s official Pedal Partner. The ninth annual event will offer a free raffle, face painting, a DJ, and refreshments for all riders and their families.  The ride hopes to raise $17,000.

Find out what's happening in Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The PMC Wilmington-Andover Kids Ride will be held on Sunday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Boutwell Early Childhood Center located at 17 Boutwell Street in Wilmington. There is a $10 registration fee and a $25 fundraising minimum. PMC Kids Rides are sponsored by the Yawkey Foundation. Contributions can be made payable to the Pan-Mass Challenge. To register, visit http://kids.pmc.org. For more information, email Sue Hendee at s.hendee@comcast.net or call 800-WE-CYCLE.

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