Sisters Jennie Firth Sheridan and Katy Firth found hope by taking action after they lost the lives of three siblings, specifically, by raising funds for cancer research.
Presented by The Bread Basket, the third annual Ride For Life bike ride begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Mountain Arts Community Center, 809 Kentucky Ave. on Signal Mountain. The event features 10- and 30-mile courses that take cyclists through Signal Mountain’s historic Old Town district and town of Walden, while offering views of Chattanooga from Signal Mountain’s brow.
Bicyclists can register online at www.begoodbestrongride.com or onsite starting at 8 a.m. Registration forms are also available at area bike shops. All participants will receive an event T-shirt, goody bag, snacks, drinks and the help of support vehicles. Non-riders can participate by being “virtual riders” – people who simply donate funds to the cause. Door prizes from Suck Creek Cycles, Center MedSpa, the Sports Barn, Track 29 and more are available to riders and those making donations.
Proceeds from the event will support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. This program enables researchers work to achieve better cure rates and to enhance patients’ quality of life.
For the Firth Family and their many friends, this cause is deeply personal. Ms. Sheridan and Ms. Firth lost their sister Mary Firth to melanoma in 2011. She was 35 years old. In 2008, brain cancer took the life of their sister, Molly Firth Hooper at age 36, and their brother John Firth, at age 32 in 2009.
For the last five years, Ms. Sheridan has run the Boston Marathon and raised over $150,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Ride For Life was Mary Firth’s vision – her way of helping Sheridan raise funds locally for cancer research. Since 2011, Ride For Life has raised over $25,000.
For updates and more information, go online at www.begoodbestrongride.com or “LIKE” the event’s Facebook page: Ride For Life. Be Good. Be Strong.
Ride For Life is made possible through the generosity of its sponsors – The Bread Basket, Tennessee Interventional Associates, Gerdau, Maxi Auto Service, Farmer+Brown, Ben Parker Co., Luken Holdings, Baker Donelson, Access America Transport, Buhrman Law Firm, Horton, Ballard & Pemberton Attorneys at Law, Suck Creek Cycle, Estes Equipment Company, Tubatomic and John H. Daniel.