By Katie Rains
Most of our work happens on rooftops.
We spend our days inspecting shingles, tracking down leaks, and helping homeowners figure out what their roof actually needs. It’s hands-on work that keeps the team focused on protecting homes and serving the communities where we work.
This past weekend looked a little different.
Two members of the Integrity Roofing & Construction team traded the job site for the road and took part in the 50-mile Obliteride bike ride. They joined cyclists from across the region who came together for a shared purpose: raising money for cancer research through Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
For our team, participating was about more than completing 50 miles. It was an opportunity to support a cause that has affected countless families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
What Obliteride Supports
Obliteride is a community-powered fundraising event that supports cancer research at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Riders and supporters come together to raise money that helps advance research into cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and cures.
That mission is what makes the event meaningful.
Cancer research is not something that happens overnight. It takes years of scientific work, collaboration, clinical research, and funding to move an idea from the laboratory toward a treatment that can help patients. Events like Obliteride give people throughout the community a way to contribute to that work.
For many people participating, there is also a personal reason for riding. Some are honoring someone they love. Others are remembering someone they have lost. Some are supporting a friend or family member who is currently going through treatment.
Our team may work in roofing, but the people connected to the company are part of the same community as everyone else. Supporting a cause that affects so many people felt like an important way to give back.
50 Miles, One Shared Purpose
Fifty miles is a long way on a bike.
It sounds different when you say it quickly. It feels a lot different when you are actually riding it.
Our two team members took on the full 50-mile route this past weekend, putting in the miles alongside other riders who had their own reasons for being there. Some were riding in memory of someone. Many were there simply because they wanted to contribute to the cause.
That variety is part of what makes Obliteride special.
It’s not really about who finishes first. It’s about getting people moving in the same direction.
The ride also gives the fundraising effort a visible, community-focused element. Riders spend weeks preparing, fundraising, and encouraging others to contribute before they ever reach the starting line. Then, on ride day, all of that effort comes together on the road.
For our team, crossing the finish line was a great accomplishment, but it was not the most important part. The bigger accomplishment was being part of an event that turns individual efforts into support for cancer research.
The Research Continues Long After the Ride
The bike ride lasts a day. Cancer research continues year-round.
Funds raised through Obliteride support research at Fred Hutch, where scientists and clinicians are working to better understand cancer and develop new approaches to preventing, detecting, and treating the disease.
Research can involve studying how cancer begins, identifying ways to find it earlier, understanding why certain treatments work for some patients but not others, and developing new therapies. Progress often comes through many individual discoveries rather than one single breakthrough.
That is why fundraising matters.
A community event like Obliteride gives people a way to participate in that process even if they are not scientists or medical professionals. Riders raise money. Donors contribute what they can. Sponsors help support the event. Together, those efforts help fund work that would otherwise be much harder to accomplish.
It’s easy to think of a bike ride as the main event, but the miles are really just one part of the story. The research is where the impact continues.
How You Can Support Our Team
The team has finished the ride, but the opportunity to support the cause does not end when the bikes are put away.
If you would like to contribute to cancer research through our Obliteride fundraising effort, donations can be made through our team page.
Every donation helps support the fundraising effort and the research funded through Fred Hutch.
Whether you donate, share the fundraiser with someone else, or simply learn more about the work being supported, it all helps keep the effort moving.
Turn a Roofing Project Into an Opportunity to Give Back
There is also another way to participate for homeowners who already need work done on their home.
If your roof needs an inspection, repair, or replacement, or you have a project you need help with, you can use our partner referral program to receive a rebate while also supporting the Obliteride fundraising effort.
It gives homeowners an opportunity to connect something they already need to take care of with a cause that benefits the broader community.
If your home needs work, this program provides an opportunity to make that project part of something bigger.
From the Job Site to the Finish Line
Community involvement looks different from one organization to another.
For Integrity Roofing & Construction, it can mean sponsoring a local event, supporting a community organization, or, this time, putting some miles on the bikes for cancer research.
Our two riders showed up for 50 miles, but the effort represents much more than those miles. It represents the people who donated, the people who trained, the people who volunteered, and the researchers who continue doing the work long after the event is over.
That is what made being part of Obliteride worthwhile.
To schedule an inspection or talk through your roofing needs, contact Integrity Roofing & Construction at 360-900-7663 or fill out our online form.
From roofs to research, the goal is simple: take care of the community, take care of the homes in it, and find opportunities to make the work matter beyond the job site.
