Hello PanCAN volunteers,

Thank you for your continued commitment! PanCAN would not be where we are without you – and you proved it again in 2023!

First and foremost, our signature event, PanCAN PurpleStride, happened in April, on one big day, in nearly 60 communities across the nation. Thank you for helping us raise more than $17.2 million!  I spent that day in Charlotte, N.C., with PurpleStride Chair Laurie Allen, as she honored her father, “Teeny,” and we celebrated with more than a dozen survivors on stage. At the same time, across the entire country, more than 61,000 other people were doing the same thing. Now, that is powerful! 

But of course, you helped do amazing things in other areas, like pushing for $20 million dollars of research funding at the federal level with your advocacy actions. You just turned the nation purple in November as we celebrated World Pancreatic Cancer Day. And all of this means that PanCAN is investing more than ever in research – a record breaking $34 million just this year. That wouldn’t be possible without you.

In addition, our Affiliates are diving into Action Plans like never before. We want to ensure that we are reaching members of our communities who are disproportionately affected by pancreatic cancer, welcoming diverse supporters into PanCAN, and getting everybody the resources they need. Services like PanCAN Patient Services offer free support to everyone. 

Next year is a big one for PanCAN. In 2024, we celebrate our 25th anniversary as an organization! I looked back in time and saw that in 1999, the year PanCAN was founded, the #1 song was “Believe” by Cher. Sure seems fitting now.
 
So, thank you for continuing to believe in PanCAN and believing that you can change the course of this disease. Because you are doing exactly that.

Kevin Sims
VP, Volunteer Field Relations & Engagement