PRESS RELEASES
July 17, 2003
Bicyclists Take to the Road for Young Cancer Survivors
On Saturday, June 28 a group of 167 individuals took part in the second annual RATPOD which stands for "Ride Around The Pioneers in One Day." RATPOD is a 157-mile bike tour starting and ending in Dillon, Montana at the UM-Western campus. Riders took on this daunting task not only for the amazing scenery and to test their fortitude, but also for a very good cause.
The event benefits Montana's own Camp Mak-A-Dream which provides a cost-free camp experience for children (ages 6-12), teens (ages 13-17) and young adults (ages 18-25) with cancer. More than 2,400 participants have already come to Gold Creek, Montana from all over the United States to meet other young people who understand their hopes, their fears and just what it means to have cancer.
Riders came from all across Montana including Missoula, Anaconda, Belgrade, Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman, Dillon, Polson, Hamilton, Stevensville, Butte, Whitefish and West Glacier as well as out-of-staters from Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Indiana and Maine.
RATPOD raised over $58,000 for the Children's Oncology Camp Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which owns and operates Camp Mak-A-Dream, in part due to the generous support from area sponsors including the Missoula Bone & Joint, Missoula Anesthesiology, Montana Cancer Specialists, Western Montana Clinic, Five Valley's Urology and St. Patrick Hospital & Health Sciences Center and riders raising pledge donations for each mile they rode.
The 3rd annual RATPOD ride will be held in June of 2004, the exact date has yet to be determined. For more information on RATPOD or on the cost-free programs offered for cancer patients, please contact: Camp Mak-A-Dream, P.O. Box 1450, Missoula, MT 59806. Phone (406)549-5987. On the web: www.campdream.org E-mail: jennifer@campdream.org .