Bronwyn Allen: I’m a Texas native who relocated to Seattle almost 20 years ago, a place I now call home. After graduating with degrees in Scandinavian Area Studies/Norwegian Language & Literature and Business Administration from the University of Washington in 1990, I joined the US division of a global consulting firm, now part of the Fujitsu family. I learned about the Coast To Coast Ride for Cancer after one of its founders, Jeff Rushton, joined Fujitsu’s leadership team. I manage Jeff’s internal communications activity for the US, and feel honored to have been asked to lend communications support to this worthy cause.

I feel drawn to this cause from two perspectives. First, my father is an avid bicyclist, riding an average of 50 miles/day for the last 15 years. Some of the happiest times I’ve spent with him have been during week-long bicycle tours through the vineyards of Napa Valley, the Prince William Sound of Alaska, and the mountains in New Mexico. Second, my best friend’s sister was afflicted with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma five months after the birth of her 2nd child, an event that changed their lives forever. Thus far her story has a happy ending, but I want to do anything I can to ensure it stays that way for her children – and for parents and children everywhere. Spreading the word about the Coast To Coast Ride, to employees across all its partners and sponsors, is a great place to start.