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2007 Prouty Goes Green

The 26th Annual Prouty Bike Ride & Challenge Walk will be held on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14-this year at its new location at the Richmond Middle School in Hanover. Over 4,000 people are expected to participate in the event, which is also going green with a new sustainability initiative.

The family of Audrey Prouty (after whom the event is named) at the 2006 event. (Photo courtesy NCCC)

With the goal of reusing as much material as possible, the Prouty is switching from individual bottles (last year thirsty participants consumed over 6,000 bottles of water and sports drinks) to reusable 5-gallon jugs and powdered Gatorade. Cardboard and aluminum will also be recycled at the main location and at all rest stops along the routes.

The Prouty is the signature event of the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center, a group dedicated to providing it with volunteer and financial support. In 2006, the Prouty raised a record-breaking $1.25 million. This year the goal is $1.5 million. Honorary co-chairs for 2007 are Susan DeBevoise Wright, executive director of the Montgomery Endowment at Dartmouth, and Holly Field, co-director of the New Hampshire/Vermont Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.

More than $4.7 million has been raised during the Prouty's 25 years, money that funds world-class research, state-of-the-art equipment, critical education programs, and innovative clinical trials that benefit cancer patients all over the world. It also funds services that support cancer patients and their families.

There are many ways to participate: by cycling up the scenic Connecticut River Valley (25, 50, or 100 miles), or walking on trails or through Hanover (5, 10, 15, or 20K). The event includes a complimentary pasta dinner party catered by Lui Lui restaurant the evening of July 13 and a Prouty day with great food, live music, and children's activities on July 14.

The Richmond Middle School is located at 63 Lyme Road in Hanover (1.3 miles north of the Prouty's previous location at Dartmouth Medical School). There will be parking at Dewey Field and at Thompson Arena with shuttles going all day between the Richmond Middle School and the two parking lots.

To register or volunteer, visit The Prouty or call (603) 653-3629.

By JEAN BROWN

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