AREA — A military veteran who found himself looking for a new mission after returning home from combat has found a way to raise millions of dollars for cancer research through community building, creative fundraising and an annual bike ride that takes hundreds of cyclists all the way from Staten Island to Niagra Falls in hopes of bringing about a new level of awareness.
“The ride itself is a challenge,” Terry Bourgeois, founder of the Empire State Ride said in conversation with The Leader last week, “but so are a lot of things that are worth doing.”
Bourgeois, who served in the Navy for over 12 years, started the Empire State Ride in 2014 after participating in a similar event designed to raise funds for the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, a New York-based research institute.
“I was blown away by what I learned and I wanted to find a way to contribute as much as I could,” Bourgeois said, “So much of the work that they do at Roswell depends on State funding, and that’s always a concern. It’s not always stable.”
That first year, Bourgeois set out on a 500-plus solo ride with his mother and sister following behind with his camping supplies “just to see if it could be done.”
“I wanted to quit after the first day,” he admitted, “but I kept going. It really changed my perspective and made me feel so grateful to realize that I could do it. I thought other people might have the same experience if I could get this thing off the ground.”
The following year, nine other riders joined Bourgeois on his weeklong trek to the Falls. They collectively raised over $55,000 for the Roswell Center.
The event began to attract a fair bit of attention among the road biking community, Bourgeois said, and has continued to “grow organically if not exponentially” over the years.
As of the date of publication, The Empire State Ride, which now consists of almost 300 cyclists (some of whom originate from Westfield, Cranford and other parts of Union County) per year, has raised over $12 million for cancer research.
“It’s like being part of a big, crazy family,” said Harold Bolton, a returning rider who plans to participate in his seventh Empire State Ride this summer, “Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer – whether it’s a loved one, a friend, or even yourself. It’s a devastating disease, and we want to do everything we can to help combat it. We ride in the rain, we ride in bad weather, we just keep going. This matters.”
Fundraising efforts are already underway in anticipation of this year’s ride, scheduled to kick off from Wagner College on July 26.
Every dollar raised, Mr. Bolton said, is multiplied by 23 thanks to generous matching grant contributions that all go directly to benefit the Roswell Center.
“Even small contributions can have a huge impact,” he said, “This is a way to get involved with something really meaningful that could help change a lot of lives.”
For more information, or to make a contribution to Harold’s fundraising goals for this year, visit EmpireStateRide.com and search for Harold Bolton.
