CHARITY

Getting your miles worth

By Noah Bruce

When Mona Letorneau rode in the New York to Boston AIDS Ride, she had some concerns about how the money the event raised would be spent (see “No easy cure,” Feb. 23). So she posted some questions about Pallota Teamworks, the company that organizes the rides, on an internet bulletin board. The responses weren’t pretty.

“I got death threats. I had people telling me they better never see me at an AIDS ride,” she says. “Some people said, sarcastically, ‘I’d like to see you do better.’ ”

So, she created her own organization called Miles for Women, headquartered in Augusta, that will use bike rides to raise money for gynecological cancer research. Unlike the AIDS Ride, which typically gives in the neighborhood of 50 percent of all contributions to AIDS charities, Miles For Women promises to donate 85 to 90 percent of its funding, funneling only 10 to 15 cents on the dollar back into the organization.

Letorneau decided that her group would fund gynecological cancer research because currently there are no events-based charities that fund this cause, and because technology needs to be improved to increase the chances of early detection of the disease. Further, she says many people don’t realize that cervical cancer kills 500,000 women worldwide every year, more than any other disease.

The money raised by Miles For Women will go to funding research on the national and local level — some money from the Maine ride will go to gynecological oncology research at Maine Medical Center — and to helping local women afford testing. Letorneau also plans to lobby the state government to convince them to match the funds her group contributes for testing.

The charity’s first event will be a 100-mile bike ride on May 19, starting and ending in Portland, and passing through twelve Maine towns including Yarmouth, Gray, Pownal, Lisbon, Turner, Green, and Sabattus. Letorneau hopes to have 500 to 1000 riders, and already has several hundred signed up. Future rides are planned in Burlington, Vermont, Tucson, Orlando, California’s bay area, Nappa, and Cleveland or St. Paul. Eventually Letorneau wants to have a total of ten rides and raise between three to five million dollars every year. That would equal the money AIDS Rides raise, but would contribute far more to charity. “I think we can equal their funding in three to five years,” she says, “and operate on a shoestring budget and be a grassroots organization.”

If you’re interested in Miles For Women, visit www.milesforwomen.org or call (207) 784-2479.