Welcome to An Evening with the Stars
Dear Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Friends:
On behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, thank
you for joining us this evening. Tonight we honor the courage, commitment and generosity of the
many individuals who enable us to fulfill our critical mission.
We are proud of our many organizational accomplishments. To date, we have awarded 80 grants
totaling $12.7 million to outstanding investigators at institutions around the county. Our advocacy
efforts have increased the federal dollars invested in pancreatic cancer at the National Cancer Institute
(
NCI) from just over $17 million in 1999 to $99 million in 2011, representing an $82 million increase.
We have helped to introduce the first substantive legislation for pancreatic cancer requiring the NCI
to evaluate its current efforts in researching the disease and focus on ways to improve outcomes. Our
Patient and Liaison Services (PALS) program has served more than 65,000 patients and families since
its inception in 2002. And our more than 60 volunteer affiliates in communities nationwide are now
raising awareness and visibility of pancreatic cancer among tens of thousands of people. Your valued
support makes all of this possible.
We are also excited about a bold initiative we launched last year called the
Vision of Progress.
Our
goal is to double the survival rate for pancreatic cancer by 2020. Survival rates for pancreatic cancer
have remained in the single digits for decades. Today, the five-year survival rate is just six percent.
By accelerating the application of our proven comprehensive approach to fighting the disease—
combining research, support for individuals and families living with the disease, raising awareness
and building and sustaining federal support—we will turn this vision of progress into reality.
Tonight, we recognize three incredible honorees who have made their own special contributions
to the efforts to defeat pancreatic cancer: the Los Angeles Kings, the San Diego Padres/Padres
Foundation and NBA referee and pancreatic cancer survivor Greg Willard. We thank them all for
their generous support, as well as their many family members, friends and other supporters who join
us this evening.
The money you help raise tonight is vitally important in supporting our mission to advance
research, support patients and create hope for those impacted by pancreatic cancer. Your generosity,
enthusiasm and passion truly make a difference. With your help, we can move the science ahead
to the day when a cure is found.
We hope you enjoy tonight’s program, hosted this year by our longtime friend Joel McHale.
Peter Kovler
Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA
Board Chair
President and CEO