by Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly
At 9am on the misty morning of Saturday, May 19, over 45 kind-hearted Westwood Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts volunteered at the PMC Kids’ Ride or hit the road on their bikes and scooters to raise money for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Pedal Partners Daniel Kelleher and Luke Ahern were honored at the event.
According to Nancy James, the Westwood PMC Kids’ Ride Coordinator, Kelleher rode in the PMC Kids’ Ride in the spring of 2019, as he completed his two-and-a-half-year chemotherapy protocol for ALL (leukemia). He has been considered cancer-free since 2022. Now in the third grade, Kelleher is student-council president, and he plays travel and town hockey and other sports.
Luke Ahern is two years old, and he has recently completed his treatment. He rode on May 19 in his first PMC Kids’ Ride, completing Daniel’s Tot Loop, a bike/scooter route for the younger kids.
Alexa Kelly volunteered again this year at Alexa’s Awesome Obstacle Course held next to the Tot Loop. In 2012, the Westwood PMC Kids’ Ride was dedicated to Alexa, as she completed two years of treatment for leukemia.
There was a lot of excitement and determination as the bikers prepared for their ride, sponsored by Wegmans and Roche Bros. WCVB came to take a video of the crowd for their Eye Opener broadcast. WROR provided fun music for the occasion, and technicians from Landry’s Bicycles generously provided tune-ups. Delicious munchkins were passed around.
Participants in the ride gathered excitedly at the large inflatable orange starting line arch provided by Sun Multi-sport Events. When it was time, riders and some adults proceeded along the path near the baseball field and through to a course outlined on a neighborhood road. Neighbors cheered the kids on as they rode along the route.
Adorable toddlers rode their bikes and scooters on the tot loop and walked through the fun obstacle course. Volunteers then played a rousing game of parachute with them, while they laughed and smiled. A ball representing popcorn was bounced on top of the parachute, with everyone holding on. Then, the parachute was held high by the volunteers as the children ran underneath.
The Westwood PMC Kids’ Ride committee is looking forward to their next PMC Kids’ Ride. It will most likely be held in May of 2025.
