Amid the social sea of makeup free selfies and ice bucket challenges, it is easy to forget the tradition where people actually put themselves through hardship in the name of a good cause. But the Fireflies, whose motto is “for those who suffer, we ride”, aren’t content with easy gestures. Each year, a group of generous and challenge-oriented American ad execs take to their mountain bikes in aid of charity; this month marks the seventh time that the Fireflies West will cycle down the California coast, raising money for leukaemia treatment and research at the City of Hope hospital.
Founded by Bryan Farhy and Ben Hampshire, Fireflies West is an offshoot of the original annual Fireflies Tour in Europe, where participants cycle from Geneva, across the French Alps to Cannes, to support The Leuka Charity and Hammersmith Hospital in London.
Fireflies West will begin in San Francisco on 19th September, and the tour will conclude six days and 550 miles later, in Los Angeles. Over 50 people from the world of advertising will be undertaking the challenge. The event is sponsored by Redworks, Ogilvy, RSA, Union, Rapha, BMW, Content Chemics, Quixote, Gifted Youth, Method Studios, Corbis Motion, and many more. And our very own James Brook-Partridge from Redworks Singapore and Larry Byrne from Ogilvy Chicago will be at the start line.
Click here to find out more about the Fireflies West tour.
