PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — In February, snowmobile enthusiasts will gather for the first Aroostook County Sled Run to raise funds for Aroostook Relay For Life, a cancer awareness fundraiser.
The Striking Out Cancer Team, a Relay For Life team consisting of employees from MMG Insurance and other community members, will host a day of snowmobile rides and activities on Saturday, Feb. 29. The team’s goal is to raise $10,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Event coordinator Heidi Estabrook said the idea for the Sled Run came from a desire to bring together the local snowmobile community, many of whom have personal experiences battling cancer or watching loved ones endure the disease.
“The ride symbolizes our Relay for Life event of walking the track. Instead we are ‘riding the route’ in a fight against cancer,” said Estabrook, who is a quality analyst at MMG.
Much of the day’s activities will take place at the Aroostook Shrine Club, located on 390 Houlton Road in Presque Isle. People will have the option of riding snowmobiles on either the Remember Ride or the Fight Back Ride, both of which begin and end at the Shrine Club.
The Remember Ride is a 68-mile ride that has a lunch stop at the Chapman Ridge Runner Snowmobile Club, while Fight Back is a 107-mile ride that has a lunch stop at the Aroostook River Snowmobile Club in Castle Hill.
Both rides will begin at approximately 9 a.m. At 4 p.m. there will be a social at the Shrine Club for riders, followed by a dinner and silent auction at 5 p.m. People can register for the Sled Run at rflaroostook.ticketleap.com/. Tickets will be included with the dinner and ride package.
All funds raised will be combined with the amount the Striking Out Cancer Team raises until the end of the Aroostook Relay For Life event on Saturday, June 20. Estabrook said that the team hopes to make the Aroostook County Sled Run an annual fundraiser for Relay For Life.
“Our hope is to have survivors, caregivers and others riding in honor of or in memory of loved ones,” she said.
