Hyannis Port challenge starts off with a large bump

by Lauren Mulkern

The road to the Hyannis Port Challenge started off rocky because they hit a large bump. On Saturday May 17, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy suffered from a seizure. The seizure occurred early in the morning in Hyannis Port. Kennedy was in the area for the Hyannis Port Challenge which is put on by the organization Best Buddies.
This organization was founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. The Hyannis Port challenge is very symbolic because it begins at the J.F.K library and ends at Craigsville Beach where a park was recently donated to Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
A few days after the challenge, we found out that Kennedy has a brain tumor which triggered the seizure. The Kennedy family has been very involved with the Hyannis Port Challenge. Therefore, when members who were participating in the challenge found out, they were very concerned. At the Duxbury rest stop, advisor Pamela Parrella, received a phone call and was informed of Kennedy’s seizure.
Instantly, everyone at the rest stop became concerned for Kennedy. They also wondered if this was going to affect the challenge. Luckily, it did not affect the challenge and it went smoothly.
Parrella was in the area to support two members from her chapter. The ride went very smoothly and Best Buddies did a great job mapping out Rest stops. These were convenient because the bikers got to take a break and refuel while family and friends motivated them.
This event took place to raise money for the organization. Also, Tom Brady donated money so Best Buddies can send more people to the leadership can send more people to the leadership conference over the summer. This is a mandatory event for all chapter presidents. This money will help a lot of towns who have trouble raising the money to send the chapter President. Luckily, this was a huge success and Best Buddies can make an even bigger difference.
Pembroke High School was one of four groups that had a buddy pair ride tandem. A buddy pair is when a person rides with another person who has special needs. Freshman, Jared Drennan and senior Josh Lavalley completed this ride together. They trained hard and it was very rewarding for the members of the chapter to see them succeed.