“PMC Update: Not Quite A Heavy Hitter (Yet)”

Doesn't look like I made Heavy Hitter status with my PMC fundraising efforts. Not for lack of trying!

As you can see in the graph to the left, my fundraising total is $5555.66. I guess if I had to miss my goal, my second choice would have been a really cool number like that. ;-)

What's 'Heavy Hitter'? I've had a few people ask me that. PMC Heavy Hitters are those who have raised more than double the minimum amount for a PMC rider doing the "full route." This year, that minimum was $3,000, so a Heavy Hitter had to raise $6,000.

The real focus is, of course, raising the money for the research. Still, there's some personal pride for those who make that level, as well as some more tangible benefits. There's a long-sleeved Heavy Hitter riding jacket that would help me stay on the bike in cold weather. Heavy Hitters can register two weeks before everybody else for the next year. All HH names are listed in the yearbook. A private, Heavy Hitters-only dinner is held in Massachusetts. There's probably more, but I haven't joined the club yet so I'm not sure what else is involved.

I still have about $110 from the auctions, but some of that will have to go to CD jewel cases and the costs of mailing everything out to the auction winners (starting today!). The rest will go to the PMC.

The good news is that the PMC tells me I have two more weeks! The fundraising deadline (which was October 16th) only applied to reaching the minimum balance, which I did back in August. The "Heavy Hitter" deadline is actually November 1st.

Anybody feeling charitable? As of right now, I just need to raise another $444.34. (Obviously, helping me reach Heavy Hitter status doesn't change the fact that the money goes to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for research on new cancer treatments.)

To HK, who made an unexpected and unmentioned $100 donation last week: thank you very much! You're a good man.