Nearly 1,300 Georgetown University students, faculty and volunteers biked through the Washington, D.C. and Maryland hills Oct. 25 for BellRinger, an annual fundraiser supporting cancer research.
Through individual and team rides ranging from 25 to 100 miles, bikers raised money and awareness for cancer research at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only federally designated clinical cancer research center in D.C. Riders committed to a fundraising goal and then raced 25, 50, 62 or 100 mile routes from Washington, D.C. to Gaithersburg, Md.
Henry Morgan (CAS ’26), who biked 50 miles, said he had a great time participating in the fundraiser, dedicating the race to his grandfather.
“My grandpa who had cancer died when I was one, so I was just riding for him,” Morgan told The Hoya. “Everyone should do it if they have the opportunity to.”
Kara Howey (CAS ’26) — who rode 50 miles in the fundraiser for Jack Crew, a group of students who take care of Jack the Bulldog — said the day served as a reminder of the power of community since the club raised over $6,000.
“There were eight of us riding, and we wrote the names of everyone we were riding for on the back of our jackets. I had the names of 11 close family members and friends who have been impacted by cancer,” Howey wrote to The Hoya. “During the ride, I kept telling myself how lucky I was to be able to participate in an event that would help so many people and reminded myself of all the strong people I had written on my jacket.”
Since it was founded in 2022, BellRinger has raised over $6.3 million for the Lombardi Center.
The Lombardi Center’s research focuses include brain cancers such as medulloblastoma and glioblastoma, colorectal cancer, the role of cellular RNAs in chemotherapy and tobacco use behaviors.
Morgan said he rode double the distance he completed last year, which was challenging but rewarding.
“It was definitely rough,” Morgan said. “The last hill I actually had to dismount and walk for a minute because I was like, ‘This is too hard.’”
Catherine Van Dongen (MED ’32) — a member of the Bellringer fellowship program, which allows medical students to pursue summer research projects about cancer — said she rode 62 miles this year with Georgetown medical and doctoral students.
“This is my second year doing BellRinger,” Van Dongen told The Hoya. “I knew I was in the tumor bio program and I’ve always been interested in cancer research, so it sounded interesting because it was a way to get involved in that community a little bit more.”
Jonathan Gagnon (MED ’28), a second-year Georgetown medical student and BellRinger fellow, said he became interested in cancer research after his brother was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin lymphoma a few years ago.
“He’s doing well now, but it really made a lot of interest to get involved in research and cancer specifically,” Gagnon told The Hoya. “It’s pretty close to my heart.”
“I just encourage more people to get involved,” Gagnon added. “I think it’s something that is going to continue to grow and so it’s definitely something exciting to be a part of.”
Van Dongen said getting involved with Bellringer was a transformative experience.
“It’s been one of the biggest opportunities that I’ve had here so far as a medical student,” Van Dongen said. “I guess my main thing is that the sense of community was so strong there; that’s basically why I picked up biking.”
Van Dogen added that BellRinger incites passion for cancer research in all participants.
“You just know that everyone feels passionate, whether they’re a survivor or a researcher or just want to be a part of it somehow, everyone is really really passionate about it and that’s super cool to see and be a part of,” Van Dongen said. “I’m just grateful that Georgetown has this community, and they have it every year and I think it’s only getting bigger.”
