Since our founding in 1996, the Ride for Roswell has become a signature event that changes lives for thousands of people — not just the patients and their families, but the faculty, staff, riders, volunteers and donors across Western New York and beyond who join us in the fight to end cancer. The largest single-day cycling event in the nation, the Ride rallies us and unites us into a community like nothing else can.
The Celebration of Hope and Ride Day are special times to see friends, unite with family, reconnect with team members and pay tribute to those we’ve lost. But at the end of it all, our purpose is what fuels every one of us: helping save more lives from cancer through the funds raised during the Ride.
2020 was supposed to be an iconic year – we were supposed to rally like never before to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Instead, it became an iconic year because of some unprecedented challenges. Out of those challenges, the Summer of the Ride was born. And despite all the obstacles in our way, our incredible community still came together and raised more then $3.6 million for Roswell Park and cancer patients.
Why Do We Ride?
We all have our personal reasons. But when it comes to the ultimate purpose, our quest and our mission, we’ve done some great things through the years. Here are some highlights of the kinds of research, treatment and support the Ride has helped make possible for our patients:
- Millions of dollars to research and clinical trials studying lifesaving new treatments like the SurVaxM vaccine for brain cancer, as well as helping scientists bring the Cuban lung cancer vaccine CIMAvax to Roswell Park, the only place in the U.S. where it is available in clinical trials.
- 1,950 OmniSeq® tests for cancer patients, providing detailed genomic and immune profiles to identify the drug or clinical trial that will work best for them.
- Funding for over 500 SAC research grants. As a result of the SAC grants, Roswell Park faculty members have received at least 117 outside grants, including 15 Department of Defense and 3 American Cancer Society grants.
- Over 7,400 cancer patient requests for translation services in more than 30 different languages to help patients better understand their diagnosis, treatment and care.
- HLA matches for 68 Roswell patients, helping them find donors for their bone marrow transplants.
- $1 million to the construction of the Scott Bieler Clinical Sciences Center, which opened in 2016.
- $1 million to the Katherine, Anne & Donna Gioia Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center, which opened in 2017.
Timeline of the Ride
We cannot thank our incredible community enough for all the good they’ve done over the last 25 years – and all the good we know they will continue to do! Let’s take a trip down memory lane – check out the timeline of the Ride for Roswell.
