On Centre: Centre Region

At 75, local cyclist riding for charity

Stephanie Koons

I have interviewed a number of Centre Region residents who like to challenge themselves physically, especially when their efforts support a worthy cause. Jean Bemis, of State College, is among those who don't let anything, including age, prevent them from fulfilling their potential.

Bemis, 75, is participating in the 30th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on Aug. 1-2. She will be among more than 5,000 cyclists who will ride with the collective goal of raising millions of dollars for cancer research and care for adult and pediatric patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

According to a news release, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is the most successful athletic fundraising event in the country. The challenge aims to raise $30 million this year, all of which will go directly to the Jimmy Fund.

Bemis’ involvement with the challenge is rooted in personal experience. About eight years ago, she said, her grandson, Devin Bemis, who is now 10, was given a diagnosis of leukemia and was cured through treatment at Dana-Farber. Three years ago, Jean Bemis said, her daughter-in-law, who lives in the Boston area, invited her to take part in the challenge.

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a bike-a-thon that starts in the Boston area and runs through 46 cities and towns across Massachusetts. Riders are between 13 and 85 years of age and choose from seven routes of varying mileage. Bemis will participate in the 50-mile ride, she said, which takes about half a day.

Each cyclist commits to raising between $1,000 and $4,200 for the privilege of being on the challenge team. Bemis said she doesn’t solicit funds, but is donating $1,000 out of her own pocket.

“You can’t ask people every single year, and I want to do it as many years as my legs go ’round,” she said.

Bemis, who is retired from the State College Area School District as a language arts consultant and kindergarten teacher, said physical activity has always been part of her life. She celebrated her 50th birthday by running in the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., and she was a ski instructor in Vail, Colo., for 12 years after her retirement. She also takes spinning and kick-boxing classes at East Coast Health and Fitness in State College.

She is preparing for this year’s race, she said, by riding a couple of hours a day, with longer rides at least once a week. She said she is grateful to Erik Scott, owner of The Bicycle Shop in State College, for providing her with up-to-date equipment and making sure her bike is properly tuned.

The challenge, Bemis said, is “near and dear to my heart.”

“It’s such an honor for me to be able to ride in this ride,” she said. “Devin is around to enjoy his life, and other children are here because of what we do that weekend.”

For more information, visit www.pmc.org.

Stephanie Koons writes about news in the Centre Region. Contact her at skoons@centredaily.com or 235-3927.