By Suzanne Hinman

Beware of packs of brightly clad cyclists racing through town on Sunday, August 6. They are participating in the annual Tour of Litchfield Hills, which supports the Cancer Care Fund of Litchfield Hills. The Cancer Care Fund is a not-for-profit organization created to assist and support cancer patients residing or receiving care in northwest Connecticut. Residents of Litchfield County are eligible to receive money from this fund wherever they are receiving their cancer treatment.

The fund supports cancer patients with care, treatment, education and prevention programs and awards financial assistance to patients for emergencies such as food, rent, utilities, medications, or other needs as determined by clinicians and case managers. The Cancer Care Fund has given financial help to hundreds of local families. This support ranges from providing a Stop & Shop grocery card or a gas card, to paying a month’s mortgage or oil bill, to obtaining a chair lift for a patient who can no longer get upstairs to the bedroom. The fund also supports such programs as educational seminars, massage therapy for patients during their treatments and nutritional counseling for cancer patients.

The fund is supported both by donations from families and patients and by community events. The biggest such event is the Tour of the Litchfield Hills. Participants in the tour can chose a bike tour of 12, 30, 50, 75, or 100 miles, or can walk a route of 2, 4 or 6 miles. All the bike and walking tours start and end at Coe Park in Torrington, where participants can enjoy a free lunch after their tour. Rest stops and support services are available throughout all the routes.

This year will be the 14th year of this annual event. All the money raised goes to support the fund. For more information, or to donate directly to the Cancer Care Fund, call 860-567-0160 or go to www.charlottehungerford.org. To participate in the event, call 860-379-3372 or visit Tourofthelitchfieldhills.com, where you can find start times and routes.