Greater Manchester PMC Kids Ride to honor local hero Emma Bechert

Many Kids. Many Bikes. One Mission: CURE CANCER.

GREATER MANCHESTER, NH Saint Anselm will be hosting the inaugural Greater

Manchester Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) Kids Ride on June 4 th, which will be one of more
than 30 PMC Kids Rides throughout New England in 2017. The Greater Manchester PMC
Kids Ride will honor the memory of Emma Bechert, a dedicated PMC Kids Rider who
brought hope and inspiration to those around her as she bravely battled brain cancer.
Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. and riders will head off on their chosen routes around 10:00
a.m. The Greater Manchester ride offers two routes, an Outer Loop and an Inner Loop, to
challenge cyclists of all ages.
In 2016, the PMC Kids Rides program attracted approximately 4,100 young cyclists
between the ages of 2 and 15, who rode between one and twenty-six miles in mini-bike-a-
thons. Since the first PMC Kids Ride, the little road warriors have raised more than $7.2
million for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which contributed to
the PMCs record-breaking gift of $47 million last year.
The PMC Kids Rides are vital spokes in the PMC wheel, joining the more than 6,000 adult
PMC cyclists in their mission to fund adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research
at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The PMC is a two-day, 192-mile bike-a-thon that is held
the first weekend of every August.
To provide the young cyclists with an additional push, the PMC recognizes cyclists in the
Kids Rides program who go above and beyond with their fundraising efforts. Riders who
raise $250 or more will be honored as a PMC Kids Heavy Hitter and riders who raise over
$750 will be honored as a PMC Kids Breakaway Fundraiser. Both Heavy Hitters and
Breakaway Fundraisers will be recognized with a special New Balance item and a
certificate to distinguish their achievement.
The Greater Manchester PMC Kids Ride expects over 100 children, ages 4 to 13, to bike the
two Loops around Saint Anselm College. The Greater Manchester PMC Kids Ride welcomes
all volunteers and participants to attend the party after the ride, which will include food,
face-painting, music, crafts and more.
There is currently a $20 registration fee, $25 after May 14 th. Riders are expected to raise a
minimum of $25 by September 1st, 2017. To register, visit
www.kids.pmc.org/greatermanchesternh.aspx. Contributions can be made payable to the
Pan-Mass Challenge.
Official sponsors include Saint Anselm, Platinum; Coca-Cola, Dunkin Donuts, Andrada
Management Group and Manchester City Marathon, Gold; Eastern Bank and SNHU Arena,
Silver; Bank of America, Sullivan Tire, Catholic Medical Center, Members First Credit Union
and Goodales Bike Shop, Bronze. PMC program sponsors include Yawkey Foundations,
New Balance SparkStart, 105.7 WROR, Stop & Shop and 47. For more information, visit
the Greater Manchester PMC Kids Ride Facebook page or contact Justine Darmanian at
781-343-4012 or justine@pmc.org
About PMC Kids Rides

PMC Kids Rides became an official PMC program in 2005 as a way to include young cyclists in the
Pan-Mass Challenge mission raising money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute. The program engages youth in philanthropy, instills the value of working for the
benefit of others, and promotes athletic fitness and physical activity. For more information, visit
www.kids.pmc.org.