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Featured Rider: Joan Deitchman and Race Across America

July 1, 2014

By: Shannon Boselli, Canary Foundation Intern

Joan Deitchman, a Senior Software Engineer at Netflix, has raised over $6,000 for the Canary Center at Stanford through her 3,000-mile bicycle race called Race Across America. The race is done around the clock for almost 13 days and spans from California to Maryland. Only about 30 women and 300 men have completed the solo ride even though the race is in its 33rd year. Joan is riding in RAAM for the second time. Joan

Even though RAAM has no fundraising component, Joan has made a personal pledge to raise money for the Canary Center. She has already surpassed her goal of $5,000 and accredits the efforts to her family, friends, and fans. She heard about the Canary Foundation from cycling in the Silicon Valley and through the Vanderkittens, a pro cycling team. She believes that finding a simple blood test to detect cancer before it spreads to other organs is a great investment for future prevention.

To fundraise for RAAM Joan asks for donors to sponsor one of the 52 time stations where she stops. There she can recognize the donors on Social Media with photos at each station. This allows donors to be involved in the event even if they aren’t physically present, and allows them to see how far Joan rides. Each sponsored time station helps remind her about all of the support she has received and pushes her to make it through the grueling 3,000 miles.

Joan recommends being persistent in fundraising for the Canary Challenge. Finding ways to engage donors and get them excited for the upcoming event allows them to feel more connected to your fundraising efforts. She advises sending out emails, advertising on Social Media accounts, or making your own fundraising page. That way donors can see the great work you’ve put in for the cause.

Thank you Joan for your amazing efforts. Your drive will surely inspire many other Canary riders to keep lofty goals and race hard in September!

Check out Joan’s website here.

Check out Joan’s Canary fundraising page here