The Prouty started as four nurses on a bike ride, and has blossomed into a major fundraising event with more than 4,000 participants.
In 1982, four nurses banded together to cycle 100 miles through the White Mountains of New Hampshire in memory of their patient Audrey Prouty, who had lost her nine-year battle with ovarian cancer. They raised $4,000 for research. Today, The Prouty is an annual two-day athletic fundraising event to benefit Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, one of 47 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country. More than $30 million has been raised since the beginning, and nearly 90 cents of every dollar goes directly to the center.
The Prouty features more than 4,000 participants, 1,200 volunteers and 150 corporate sponsors. There are many ways to participate, from cycling and walking to rowing and golfing. Prouty donations have paved the way for improved patient diagnoses, treatments and outcomes by funding novel therapeutic approaches, patient and family support services, pilot programs, and the introduction of precision medicine and improved tumor imaging.
All who participate are there to fight cancer, support a friend or family member, or to remember a loved one. Colleen Delaney rode her first Prouty six years ago when a good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. “We were lost, looking for some way we could do something. Anything to take our minds off her illness. Anything that we could do to feel empowered and strong.” The Prouty, for Colleen and thousands of others, is a yearly testament to the fact that by coming together, we can make a difference in the fight against cancer.
