Every August cyclists in Massachusetts and the surrounding New England-area gather for a weekend of bicycle riding to raise money for cancer research known as the Pan-Mass Challenge. Sponsored by the Jimmy Fund, the PMC is a two-day bike-a-thon across the Commonwealth where teams and individuals raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the world’s foremost leaders in cancer research. Since 2002, Dassault Systèmes has sponsored a team of employees, families, and friends who participate in the event to help find a cure for cancer. The 2017 Pan-Mass Challenge was another successful campaign for Team Dassault Systèmes. Our team rode various routes, many of them opting for the most demanding two day route spanning over 186-miles from historic Sturbridge to scenic Provincetown, MA. This year’s team of 84 riders has already raised more than $500,000 for the sixth consecutive year, pushing our cumulative donation total to roughly $6.6 million since 2002, all of which funds cancer research at Dana-Farber.
Jim Wilkinson, VP of User Experience Architecture for SOLIDWORKS and lifelong cyclist has been captain our Pan-Mass Challenge team for the last 16-years and credits Dassault Systèmes for enabling fellow employees to participate
“A lot of the riders on the team wouldn’t be able to ride without the support of Dassault Systèmes,” he says. “With the support of the company and other sponsors, we’re able to bring a lot of people who are external to the company. It makes the team a lot bigger and the total (of funds raised) a lot bigger.” Wilkinson points out that Dassault Systèmes plays an important role outside of fundraising as well. “This year was pretty cool because we had two people riding recumbent bikes.” Recumbent bikes are designed for people with disabilities that prevent them from riding an upright bike. “These particular recumbent tricycles are designed in SOLIDWORKS, by our customer Catrike, so it’s really cool to have these two individuals riding the event on these two bikes. I really want to thank Catrike, who supported us with the trikes for this and other events. ”
Wilkinson is very aware how important his team’s participation is. “It’s extremely moving. There’s people cheering you along the way, signs all over the roads, cancer survivors are out there cheering you on,” he says.
To learn more about Team Dassault Systèmes or to donate, click here. Follow the links if you’d like to learn more about or become involved with PMC, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, or the Jimmy Fund.
We are so proud of all of our employees who participated or donated and would like to thank them for supporting such an amazing cause. Great work team!
