Westfield Resident to Ring Closing Bell at NYSE

For 13-time Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) cyclist Ed Gallagher, 54, of Westfield, the chimes of the New York Stock Exchange bell are ringing sounds of hope.

For the past two years, he has rung the historic bell to commence the PMC, an annual bike-a-thon that today raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the county.

Founded in 1980, the PMC has since raised $338 million for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry and is a model of fundraising efficiency, donating 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause.

This summer Gallagher continues the bell-ringing tradition as he prepares mentally and physically to participate in his 14th PMC. Gallagher will be joined by his daughter, Brittney, a four-time PMC volunteer, and fellow Westfielder Erik Leite, a cancer survivor, as he rings the closing bell at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11. The event will be featured on CNBC-TV at 4 p.m.

“I am thrilled to be representing the PMC and raising awareness of the biggest and most efficient athletic fundraising event on a worldwide stage such as the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange/Euronext,” Gallagher said.

As a senior vice president in equity sales trading at ConvergEx Group, an international investment technology solutions firm, Gallagher knows that his biggest asset is his team. For this reason, he has recruited 10 colleagues, clients, friends and family members to ride and fundraise as part of Team ConvergEx Cyclers. Two of his teammates are cancer survivors and all ride in honor of a friend or family member who has succumbed to or is currently battling cancer. Inspired by Gallagher’s dedication to the cause, ConvergEx Group has become one of the team’s official sponsors.

On August 4 and 5, Team ConvergEx Cyclers will embark on the two-day, 190-mile PMC route from Sturbridge to Provincetown. Through the PMC Pedal Partner Program, the team has been matched with a pediatric cancer patient for whom they will dedicate their ride. Savannah Polson, 5, of Raynham, Mass., was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2009 and is being treated at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. Polson and her family will stand beside Gallagher as he rings the closing bell. 

Gallagher began riding in the PMC with his sister and 14-time PMC cyclist, Katherine Gallagher, 67, of Norwalk, Conn., in 1999 when their sister, Eileen Gallagher Cullen, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Initially, the Gallaghers were inspired by Eileen’s belief that the research conducted at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute would make a difference for people affected by cancer around the world. Six years later, at the age of 52, Eileen lost her battle to breast cancer. To honor the memory of their sister, the Gallaghers have committed themselves year after year to ride and fundraise for the PMC.

“I am always encouraged by my loyal sponsors remembering that I ride PMC every year in my late sister’s memory,” Gallagher said.

Last year, Gallagher had the honor of touring Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s new state of the art cancer treatment and research facilities where doctors are working to develop breakthrough cancer treatments.

This spring, he and Katherine were among a group of PMC cyclists from New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey who gathered to hear Dr. James Bradner, a research scientist and instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber, speak about his advanced approach to alter a cell’s fundamental identity in order to bring more targeted therapy treatments to cancer patients. These experiences have added momentum to Gallagher’s wheels as his desire to raise funds to help physicians find cures for cancer has grown.

In addition, the team will ride as a tribute to the late Manny Lopez, a local cycling legend, who succumbed to cancer in February 2012. He was 55-years-old. To date, Gallagher has raised nearly $490,000 for adult and pediatric cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. Earlier this month, Gallagher rode in annual 100-mile charity bike ride and raised $3,000 for the PMC as part of his 2012 fundraising effort.

In 2011, the PMC generated 60 percent of Dana-Farber’s annual revenue. More than 230,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign. In 2012, PMC cyclists will ride with the goal of raising $36 million for Dana-Farber.

For more information, visit www.pmc.org.