Motivation to help fight cancer trumps fundraising trepidation

Lisa Abrams is finding success raising her minimum pledge despite an aversion to asking for donations.

“I’ll have to ride an extra mile in the parking lot when we get there to get that 44th mile in, but somehow it just spoke to me as something I ought to do,” said Abrams, who underwent successful treatment for Stage 2 skin cancer in 2008.

Abrams, an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a few others from engineering are still forming a peloton, but they’re already planning several fundraising events as a group, including a bake sale and perhaps a wine tasting at House Wine in Worthington, which has offered its help to riders who wish to host such events. “I’m really not worried about raising enough money because I know people are so willing to help out with the cause,” she said. “I feel really strongly about it and I know there are a lot of other people out there who do as well.”

Abrams said she’s not one who’s ever been comfortable asking directly for donations, so she was thrilled to see that she got her first contribution to her ride from a post she put up on Facebook. “It was really the first thing I did to raise money and in no time I had the first donation coming in, so that was really encouraging,” Abrams said.

Others in her peloton are hosting neighborhood events such as a cookie party and an ice cream social. Abrams also plans to have some business cards printed that she can hand out as an easy way to request donations and give instructions on how to donate.

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