Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Starr.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Billy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started the PMC at 29 after tragically losing my mother to melanoma when I was just 23 years old. At the time, I didn’t have many resources at my disposal but I knew that people who put in the mental energy, not just the physical, follow their goals from theory to mission accomplished – and that’s what I was prepared to do. It’s taken a lot of hard work to grow the PMC to its current level of success. For the first ten years, it was a small cadre of volunteers supporting my full-time commitment and figuring it out day by day, until I slowly started adding trusted people with unique skill sets to my team knowing that they could truly bring something to the table. Now, we have an organization with a volunteer crew of 4,000 and a professional staff of 10 – and we get to do something that truly fills our souls year after year – raise tens of millions for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In 1980, I led dozens of friends on a weekend bike ride to raise money to combat cancer. By Sunday, the PMC was born. That weekend our group raised $10,200. Growing an organization from $10,200 raised to $547 million raised in 37 years is never smooth. We’ve had to tackle many challenges that come with scaled growth – from technological advances and economic downturns to welcoming a new generation and the logistics of finding space across the state for 6,000+ riders to cycle through to Cape Cod.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The PMC is known for pioneering the $4 billion athletic fundraising industry. As the largest, most successful single athletic fundraising event in the country, the PMC has raised a whopping $547 million for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since 1980. The PMC is a fully supported bike-a-thon — with food and water stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage, transportation and lodging — that runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. Our riders commit to raising between $500 and $7,800 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route, and 100% of the dollars they raise go directly to Dana-Farber. The PMC is the institute’s largest single contributor, raising more than 52 percent of the annual revenue at The Jimmy Fund®. In 2017, the 38th PMC will take place on Aug. 5 and 6, and we have set a goal of raising $48 million for Dana-Farber.
My main goal when I started the PMC was to build culture, to build a community. This has been critical in our 38 operating years because it laid a foundation and allowed for really strong relationships to form. Our mission to raise money for cancer research and treatment has really driven our riders and volunteers to come back each year, asking friends and family members to join in and experience the spirit of what we do. Cyclists travel from more than 40 states and seven countries. Some PMC cyclists are weekend warriors, others are trained triathletes. Most ride in honor of a family member or friend fighting the disease. Six hundred riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients, and considered Living Proof® of the PMC mission. I was determined to create a unique camaraderie that you don’t always see with “a-thon” events – it’s certainly unlike anything else out there.
What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
From about ages 5-13, I remember my mother would ring a cowbell in our suburban neighborhood to signal me to come home for dinner! Somehow, it did not seem inappropriate.
Contact Info:
- Address: 77 Fourth Avenue, Needham, MA 02494
- Website: www.pmc.org
- Phone: 781-449-5300
- Email: panmass@pmc.org
Image Credit:
John Deputy
Bill Brett
Pan-Mass Challenge
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