Dear Volunteer Leaders,

What an extraordinary year it’s been – and it’s all because of YOU.

As I reflect on the past 12 months, I’m filled with gratitude and awe. PanCAN has made bold, measurable progress across every area of our mission – research, advocacy, patient services and community building. And at the heart of all this progress is your unwavering dedication. Whether you’ve given your time, your talents or your treasure – you’ve helped make progress in the fight against pancreatic cancer. Thank you.

Let’s start with a moment that still gives me goosebumps: PanCAN PurpleStride 2025.

• We held 56 events across the country – all on one day.
• Together, we raised over $17.7 million (and counting)!
• You helped grow participation with a 3% increase in the number of teams – we had over 5,900 teams!
• Nearly 2,700 survivors registered. Nearly 2,000 event-day volunteers joined in.
• We already have 25 early sponsorship commitments for PurpleStride 2026!

These numbers tell a story of deep commitment and powerful momentum. PurpleStride continues to be a beacon of hope and community for so many – and you made that happen.

Your impact didn’t stop there. In fact, you brought your voice all the way to Capitol Hill:

• Over 15,000 advocates took action.
• As a result, the FY26 House Defense Appropriations bill currently includes a proposed $15M line item for pancreatic cancer research! More work to do here, but let’s celebrate this critical milestone!

All of this speaks volumes about what happens when our community comes together with a common mission.

And there's more to celebrate...

• We ended the year with over 720 volunteers in leadership or committee roles.
• You engaged more than 100 new groups across the country.
• PanCAN gained nearly 73,000 new social media followers – further growing our community.
• Every one of you helped make our movement stronger!

Thanks to your passion and leadership, here are some of the organization’s top accomplishments this year:

• Completed a 5-year Action Plan and the Mission Roadmap – our guiding light for the future.
• Supported more than 60,000 total contacts through PanCAN Patient Services, including nearly 16,000 new patients and caregivers.
• Presented Precision Promise at ASCO GI 2025 (the largest clinical oncology meeting in the world), delivered critical data to our pharmaceutical partners, catalogued samples for future research and closed out the study while supporting the launch of IMPACT PDAC – the next adaptive platform clinical trial for pancreatic cancer.
• Completed enrollment for the Early Detection Initiative with 8,869 participants and began planning the next phase.
• Shared de-identified PanCAN health data through the SPARK platform with 81 academic researchers and launched two commercial AI partnerships to accelerate innovation.
• Published 10 scientific abstracts and/or manuscripts – advancing science, improving outcomes.
• Completed development of the Dynamic Growth Model, setting the stage for what’s next.

These wins belong to all of us – and especially to YOU.

You are the heartbeat of this movement. Your energy, your ideas, your relentless optimism – that’s what fuels PanCAN’s mission and brings hope to thousands of families nationwide.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate what you’ve made possible. Together, we’re changing the story of pancreatic cancer.

With deep gratitude and admiration,

Jill Davis
Chief Growth Officer
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network