DUARTE, Calif. — Today, City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry group announced that it will collaborate with Ride With Josh, a charity founded by HITCO Entertainment Vice President Sterling Simms, to host a fundraising bike ride on June 26 at 8 a.m. PDT.
Simms, who sits on City of Hope’s Future Hope Committee, named the ride in honor of his late brother Joshua, who lost his battle with diabetes at age 19. Ride With Josh will engage local communities to raise awareness about diabetes and will commence each June to honor those affected by the disease. Inspired by this cause, City of Hope joined as a collaborator to elevate the cause and raise money for research toward finding a cure for a condition that affects 1 in 10 Americans.
All proceeds from the Ride With Josh event on Saturday, June 26, 2021, will benefit the
Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. In January,
Arthur Riggs, Ph.D., the Samuel Rahbar Chair in Diabetes & Drug Discovery, gifted City of Hope $100 million to fund the continuation of its leading-edge diabetes research.
“The recent tremendous generosity demonstrated by Dr. Arthur Riggs has underscored City of Hope’s long-standing commitment to being a world leader in diabetes treatment and research,” said Rich Gerber, senior vice president and chief of philanthropy operations at City of Hope. “In addition to our sincere support for our colleague, Sterling Simms, events like Ride With Josh are more critical now than ever before as we have the opportunity to make significant strides in quelling such a pervasive and deadly disease.”
“Ride With Josh” is the first diabetes-focused cycling event presented by the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry group.
“My little brother battled with diabetes until he couldn’t any longer; I want to ride to raise awareness so that others can live,” Simms said. “Ride with Josh is for the people who suffer quietly with this illness. We want to let them know that they aren’t alone in this fight. We not only stand with them, but we ride for them as well!”
In light of the current pandemic, the inaugural Ride With Josh will take place virtually. Riders will have the option to participate at the comfort level of their choosing, whether indoors or outdoors, and while they are encouraged to ride 30 miles, the distance will be left solely to the riders’ discretion.
City of Hope is home to the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute — one of the world’s foremost scientific organizations dedicated to investigating the biology of diabetes and its treatment. Its scientists, including longtime preeminent researcher and biotechnology pioneer Arthur Riggs, Ph.D., were responsible for developing the technology that led to the first synthetic human insulin — a breakthrough that enabled mass production of insulin for people with diabetes. That discovery, which jump-started what is now a $500 billion global biotech industry, was followed by numerous firsts in the field of biomedical science. Today, synthetic insulin is used regularly by hundreds of millions of people.
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About City of Hope
City of Hope is an independent biomedical research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy such as CAR T cell therapy. City of Hope’s translational research and personalized treatment protocols advance care throughout the world. Human synthetic insulin, monoclonal antibodies, and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology developed at the institution. Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) became a part of City of Hope in 2016. AccessHopeTM, a wholly owned subsidiary, was launched in 2019, dedicated to serving employers and their health care partners by providing access to City of Hope’s exceptional cancer expertise. A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope is ranked among the nation’s “Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Its main campus is located near Los Angeles, with additional locations throughout Southern California and in Arizona. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.
