Needham Company Teams Up For PMC

Employees of Needham-based company Parametric Technology Corporation, or PTC, were among the more than 5,000 riders to participate in the 2012 Pan-Mass Challenge last weekend.

A total of 5,450 cyclists from 36 states and nine countries participated in the ride on Aug. 4 and 5, logging up to 190 miles over one or two days with the goal of raising $36 million for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Team PTC featured 24 riders, including PTC board members, employees, friends of employees and family/friends of a long-time PTC employee who lost his battle to cancer, according to Beth Ambaruch, PTC's director of corporate communications.

PTC’s team goal was to raise $156,000. As of the race day, Aug. 4, the team had raised $137,000, but they expect to reach the $156,000 goal by September, Ambaruch said. Team PTC has been riding for 11 years, raising a total of $1.2 million, including the 2012 event.

In addition, Team PTC was matched up with a "Pedal Partner"—a Jimmy Fund Clinic patient who benefits from funds raised in the Pan-Mass Challenge. Aly Cipro, 12, has battled brain cancer and has been cancer free for one year, Ambaruch said.

The Pan-Mass Challenge was launched in 1980 when Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr and 35 of his friends rode across Massachusetts and raised $10,200 for cancer research. Each year, the organization donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund, according to an event press release.

For the 2012 Pan-Mass Challenge, each rider could choose between one of 11 routes, with distances ranging from 25 to 190 miles. Riders agreed to raise between $500 and $4,300 to participate in the event.

For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge, which has its headquarters in Needham, visit pmc.org.