From our Pan Ohio family to your family and friends, happy Easter!

A PAN OHIO SHOUT OUT to our latest Dynamo, Amanda Wolf

A heartfelt congratulations to Amanda Wolf, captain of the Joy Machines Racing team, on joining the Pan Ohio Hope Ride Dynamo this week! 

An avid cyclist with a passion for racing, the cause is what draws her back to our cycling tour year after year where she races to raise the most money before the ride ends.

“I started riding Pan Ohio in 2017, and it has become so dear to me,” she says. “I ride for my dad, I ride for my other family, I ride for my friends and teammates. Over the years it’s become more than just a ride – it’s your biggest and best family in the world, and you get together and ride bikes across the state all with the goal of helping to change lives for the good. and that’s why I keep coming back. it’s everything.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Amanda. Pan Ohio is a charity ride, but it isn’t just a ride because we’re all coming together to celebrate each other, remember the people with cancer in our lives, and continue to fight for an end to cancer as we know it, for everyone!

Congratulations and thank you, Amanda, for raising more than $5,000 so far this year to benefit the cancer fighters and their caregivers who benefit from the myriad of patient support services offered by the Cleveland Hope Lodge.

Donor Issues a $100,000 Challenge to POHR Fundraisers for April

We’re thrilled to announce that an extraordinarily generous donor has issued a $100,000 Cleveland Hope Lodge Match Challenge to encourage Pan Ohio Hope Ride supporters to GIVE MORE this April! For every dollar Pan Ohio raises in April, the donor will contribute a dollar directly to the Cleveland Hope Lodge up to $100,000.*

Since proceeds from our event help fund patient support services and programs at the Cleveland Hope Lodge, this dollar-for-dollar match means our fundraising will go TWICE as far to help people with cancer and their caregivers who benefit from the Cleveland Hope Lodge, which provides a FREE home away from home for cancer patients traveling far from home for treatment.

It’s time for us to rise to the challenge. Thanks to this benevolent donor, you can help raise $200,000 for the Cleveland Hope Lodge. Who’s with us?

*Matching funds go directly to the Cleveland Hope Lodge and will not be credited to Pan Ohio Hope Ride or individual fundraisers.

Vote for the 2024 POHR Event Jersey

It’s time to vote! We narrowed down the pool of potential 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride event jersey designs down to four. We’re asking you to rank your top THREE to help select the final design. 

Follow the link to vote: https://forms.gle/RS6Vgub8JqyAPrZo6 

Voting opens tonight and runs through Thursday, April 4, at 11:59pm. The winning design will be announced in April, along with the Dynamo jersey, via email and social media.

These are initial concepts; some changes may be required when the artwork is translated into the final apparel piece, so the final jersey may differ slightly from what is shown. Please note that this year’s jerseys also will include a nod to the memory of our beloved Jim Bond.

PAN OHIO SHOUT OUT to our Newest Dynamo Club Member: Paula Hendryx

There she goes, there she goes again…Paula Hendryx of Team MBSC has once again earned her place in the Pan Ohio Hope Ride Dynamo club. Congratulations, Paula, on this outstanding achievement.

Paula, or Dr. Hendryx as many know her, is an OB/GYN who has, unfortunately, had to convey the news of a cancer diagnosis to her patients on far too many occasions.

“I have to give my patients the worst news of their life – I feel it so deeply,” she says. “This way I can tell them the ACS (American Cancer Society) is there to help them too.”

She signed up for the Pan Ohio Hope Ride for the first time nine years ago, when she started cycling again. 

“I saw the benefit of the ride and joined to make a difference,” she says. “Also, my father, father-in-law, nephew, and cousin were diagnosed, and I want to honor their memories.”

Thank you, Paula, for making that decision and coming back year after year. And congratulations on being a Pan Ohio Dynamo year after year. You are most certainly making a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their caregivers who benefit from staying at the Cleveland Hope Lodge during treatment.

PAN OHIO SHOUT OUT to our Newest Dynamo Club Member: Scott Liechty

Congratulations Scott Liechty of team Joy Machines Racing on joining the Pan Ohio Hope Ride Dynamo Club! This will be his third year participating and already he has raised more than $5,000 to support the Cleveland Hope Lodge.

Scott signed up for his first Pan Ohio Hope Ride (pohr.org) three years ago while recovering from ACL surgery to support “this great cause.”

“After having many friends and family members over the years directly impacted, and coupled with working at a healthcare organization, I’ve witnessed how devastating cancer can be,” Scott shared. “I’ve also had the opportunity to see how much [events] like POHR can have an enormous impact on people’s lives, the ability to uplift and bring hope and light in what is on the surface a tough and dark time, and want to do my part to contribute to that.”

This year, more members of the Joy Machines Racing team joined the event, which has further motivated Scott, who notes that he’s thankful to his new team captain Amanda Wolf for all of her inspiration and support. 

Scott, we’re grateful you joined the ride and stayed with us in the fight to end cancer as we know it. Congratulations on your awesome fundraising accomplishment – achieving Pan Ohio Dynamo status!

PAN OHIO SHOUT OUT to our Newest Dynamo Club Member: Roger Hesse

Congratulations, Roger Hesse, a member of team UH Seidman Cancer Center, on becoming a Pan Ohio Hope Ride Dynamo by raising more than $5,000 this year in the fight to end cancer as we know it, for everyone!

Nearly everyone has a connection to cancer, whether you have heard those words yourself or you know someone who was diagnosed. And then there are those who have experienced both sides, being both a cancer survivor and a caregiver. Roger is one such person. 

In 2006, he lost his wife to lung cancer, and then he lost his sister to breast cancer in 2012. This year, Roger is celebrating three years in remission from Diffuse Large B-cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (DLBCL) by riding in his sixth Pan Ohio.

“My daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Sam Rodgers-Melnick, both work at UH Seidman Cancer Center and ride for that team,” he says. “I decided to join them and their POHR team in 2018, excited to be participating in an endurance event with such a good cause and doing it alongside loved ones.”

Thank you, Roger, for the incredible job you’ve done raising money to help cancer patients and their caregivers who benefit from the patient services available at the Cleveland Hope Lodge. And congratulations on three years in remission!

The Pan Ohio Hope Ride Needs Volunteers for July 24-28, 2024

The 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride needs volunteers to work individual shifts or to join us for all four days of the event, Thursday July 25 – Sunday, July 28, plus the kickoff on Wednesday, July 24. 

From distributing rider packets to loading luggage; from passing out food, water, and ice at rest stops to offering cheers, smiles, and even hugs when riders need them the most, our volunteers do it all, and we’re so thankful for every one of them. 

Our 2024 volunteer registration process is being managed through the American Cancer Society’s Volunteer Community, which will make it easier for us to communicate directly with our amazing volunteers. We’re also working on changes to improve our Pan Ohio volunteer experience. For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visit bit.ly/call4volunteers2024 today!

Please also join us at an upcoming 328 Day celebration in your local market to learn more about the event and our volunteer opportunities. 

Chag Purim Sameach!

Happy Purim to all – may it be a ray of hope for you this year!

POHR Announces New Pan Ohio Express Half-Day Options

What is the Pan Ohio Express?

The new Pan Ohio Express half-day option enables riders to choose shorter days and distances. Riders cycle to the lunch stop and ride the bus to the daily finish line at each college while their bicycles are transported in a Penske moving truck.

On Day 4, cyclists are bussed to a staging area near the finish, enabling riders to bike across the Finish Line at Yeatman’s Cove.

This option is available for in-person riders who want to join the event but prefer to ride approximately 40-50 miles each day.

Sign Up at pohr.org 

Select the appropriate Pan Ohio Express participant level when registering. If you have already signed up and wish to use the half-day option, indicate your preference when completing the Lodging & Logistics Survey that will come out later this spring. Seats will be limited based on reservations. 

As an organization that values and encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion, we developed this option to accommodate new and diverse cyclists. 

NOTE: The Pan Ohio Express bus will not replace our Support and Gear volunteers. SAG will still be on the route daily and able to move riders and their bikes from stop to stop along the route, as needed. Questions? Contact staff at PanOhioInfo@cancer.org.