For Sage Senior Vice President, Melissa Gotchnik, participating in the MS 150 bike ride was a life goal—and a very personal one.
“My mom was diagnosed with MS about 20 years ago. So riding in the MS 150 was something I’ve always wanted to do for her,” Melissa said. “But I’d never been able to dedicate the time necessary to do it.”
That all changed last month, however, when Melissa and her husband, Justin, were among the more than 3,000 riders in the annual fundraising bike ride from Duluth, Minn., to the Twin Cities. The event generated more than $3 million in donations for the National MS Society.
Melissa personally raised more than $1,000 from individual donors, but through a matching gift from Sage she was responsible for garnering more than $2,000 in donations.
Coming through for her supporters
She said knowing so many people were counting on her helped her persevere through fatigue, heat, humidity and severe storms—including hail—during the race.
“We were pretty determined that we were going to finish,” Melissa recalled. “We felt a sense of accountability to our friends, family and my Sage team members who supported me. We didn’t want to let them down.”
Sage Director of Sales & Marketing Cathy Sedacca said Melissa was never in danger of letting anyone down.
“We really appreciated and respected the effort she put in to work toward her goal and we wanted to do what we could to support her,” Cathy said, noting the importance that she and Sage co-founder Karen Turnquist put on giving back.
“It was natural for us to give to this cause because we know it’s important to Melissa—as it is to many of us who know someone affected by MS,” Cathy added.
The significance of her efforts hit home for Melissa in the last 100 yards of the 150-mile journey when she saw her mother and father at the finish line.
“It was so emotional for me—I completely lost it,” Melissa said. “Just seeing my mom there made everything we went through to get there worth it. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”