During the first week of July, almost 2,000 cyclists will be snaking their way through the French-speaking countryside in a well-known stage-race. Among them will be Chris Karambatsos, Andrew Rubin, Luc Chayer, and Philip Swain, collectively representing the FCM Recycling team.
However, none of this will happen in France.
The two-staged annual Ride to Conquer Cancer takes place in Montreal and Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. This charitable event has raised more than $32 million for cancer research across the province since its inception in 2008. In 2013 alone, it raised $6.3 million for specialized cancer therapy services at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. These funds go towards supporting new technologies in the areas of molecular diagnostics, functional imaging, biomarkers, molecular target discovery and validation, and advanced targeted radiation therapy.
The FCM Recycling team’s goal is to raise $20,000 this year. “We managed to raise this much last year for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, so we know the target is achievable. We have less time for fundraising this year but we’re off to a stronger start, and have $6,000 banked already,” explains Karambatsos.
That sum includes a small donation from Call2Recycle as one of many corporate sponsors. FCM Recycling, which specializes in diverting end-of-life electronics and electrical equipment from landfills at six processing facilities across Canada, has collaborated with Call2Recycle for several years and for the last two years, won a coveted “Leader in Sustainability” award. According to Karambatsos though, neither recycling nor fundraising are likely to be the big issue for 2014: “This winter has been so bad that the guys and I haven’t had much opportunity to train. We need to make sure we can survive two days of 100km rides, so we’re hoping that spring arrives on-schedule!”
ShareMAY