Considered one of the most successful fundraising events in The Bahamas, Ride for Hope has raised close to $3,000,000 since its inception. (Photo: Ride for Hope)
Ride for Hope has announced that it is going back to its roots for its 10th anniversary charity bike-a-thon. Scheduled for Saturday, 18 February, the 2017 event will be hosted, once again, in Eleuthera.
"We're excited to be returning to Eleuthera," said co-chairman Susan Larson. "It's where the ride began in 2006, and the charm and beauty of the island is an integral part of the spirit of the event."
Larson explained that many riders appreciate the hills in Eleuthera as they provide a more challenging course. "The roads are also much quieter, given that there is far less traffic," said Larson, "which is an important factor for all riders. On top of that," she said, "we felt it appropriate to celebrate our tenth ride in Eleuthera, where it all started.
"We will be announcing more details on the event in the coming months," said Larson, " including special festivities and surprises to celebrate our tenth anniversary. In the meantime, though, mark your calendars," Larson said, "for Ride for Hope on February 18, 2017, in Eleuthera."
Larson explained that Nassau hosted the last Ride for Hope bike-a-thon, and that it had been exciting to hold the event in the capital. "The enthusiasm of the riders, sponsors and volunteers was tremendous," she said, "and the support from the Royal Bahamas Police Force was absolutely fantastic."
Considered one of the most successful fund raising events in The Bahamas, The Ride for Hope has raised close to $3,000,000 since its inception. Every dollar raised by participants goes to fund programs created and supported by Ride for Hope to assist Bahamians in the fight against cancer, through education, testing, early screening, research and direct financial assistance.
"We are blessed with tremendous corporate support that has completely underwritten the cost of the ride each year," said Stephen Holowesko, co-chairman. "This has allowed us to ensure that every single dollar raised by our riders goes directly to the programs created and supported by the Ride for Hope."
"Our goals for the ride are simple," said Holowesko. "We wish to have a safe, quality event, one that inspires the respect and loyalty of our riders and corporate sponsors, and we seek to deploy those funds raised by our riders in the most direct, cost-effective way possible to benefit Bahamians in their fight against cancer.
In this respect, the growth of the Ride for Hope from 98 riders in 2006 to over 620 riders is a testament that we continue to achieve our goals. One of our founding sponsors has credited Ride for Hope with "doing what we say we're going to do and following up transparently. We work hard to ensure the quality of the event and the integrity of the funds raised", said Holowesko.
Ride for Hope has used those funds to assist the Cancer Society in paying off the mortgage incurred building the acclaimed Cancer Care Centre on Collins Avenue, and complete their headquarters in Eleuthera, and to create the Treatment Assistance Fund, the first of its kind in the country, which supports cancer patients with their treatment costs through financial grants. Ride for Hope has funded the Cancer Society's nationwide Cancer Education Program, a grassroots outreach that sends a trained nurse to rural communities throughout The Bahamas to educate, raise awareness, and teach self-screening and good health choices. In its first three years, this program has directly connected with an estimated 13,000 students and over 3,000 adults.
The charity has also used funds to create the innovative Family Island Mammogram Screening Initiative (FIMS) program, which brings at-risk family island women to Nassau for mammograms and any needed follow-up.
To date, FIMS has helped over 1,100 underserved Bahamian women. Additional funds have been spent through a $150,000 grant to fund genetic testing into the prevalence of the cancer-causing BRCA1 gene mutation in Bahamian women. This study led to the discovery that Bahamian women have the highest known incidence in the world of the gene mutation that causes breast cancer. It has been one of the driving forces for the creation of programs like FIMS.
To date, 673 Bahamian women have been genetically tested for the BRACA1 gene, as part of the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative program seeded by the Ride for Hope. The charity event has also contributed $130,000 to the purchase of a digital mammography machine at Princess Margaret Hospital.
A registered charity in The Bahamas, Ride for Hope is also registered in the U.S. as a 501 (c) (3) charity under the name of Bahamas Hope Foundation, which means U.S. contributions receive U.S. tax credit.
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