Update, May 7, 2021 / Organizers of the Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk, benefiting Lustgarten Foundation, have announced the 2021 fundraiser is set for Sun., July 18, with educational festivities and a start at the Naperville Riverwalk Grand Pavilion as well as starts at a Naperville neighborhood near you.
Though continued COVID-related restrictions may prevent the annual in-person event from welcoming hundreds of walkers as it has in the past, Chair Jen Tedrow and other organizers are hopeful the number of active participants may be even larger than previous years thanks to the addition of a “neighborhood” option.
For more info and to register, visit www.lustgarten.org/napervillewalk. Watch for more details coming soon.
Original Post, June 8, 2020 / Join Naperville resident Ann Zediker and other community members touched by pancreatic cancer by participating in the Lustgarten Foundation’s Virtual Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk on Sun., July 19.
Ten years ago, Ann lost her father to pancreatic cancer just seven weeks after his diagnosis. Determined to make an impact, she established the Naperville Walk in 2010.
“I had to take action so other families could be spared the pain and grief of losing a loved one. I started a walk in Naperville with the Lustgarten Foundation, the world’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research,” Zediker said.
Due to COVID-19, this year, the walk will be held virtually. Registered walkers can participate from wherever they live and walk as individuals or start teams and share photos and videos from their walk on social media. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to pancreatic cancer research.
Furthermore, thanks to the support of The Dozen Dimes Foundation, all online donations for Lustgarten virtual walks will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000*, so donations have double the impact.
“Pancreatic cancer can’t wait, and neither can we,” said Kerri Kaplan, President and CEO of the Lustgarten Foundation. “With the support of our virtual walkers, we can ensure critical research to identify better treatment options and early detection methods continues at an accelerated pace for patients and their loved ones,” she said.
According to the American Cancer Society, this year, more than 57,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 47,000 people will pass away from the disease in the United States—including nearly 2,000 Illinois residents. To help change these statistics, the Naperville walk has raised nearly $700,000 since inception for pancreatic cancer research and has brought together more than 4,000 walkers, all committed to finding a cure.
To register, visit www.lustgarten.org/napervillewalk.
*Only online donations made to the Lustgarten Foundation 2020 Virtual Pancreatic Cancer Research Walks will be matched. Items that are exempt from the match include donated products or services, ticket sales or sponsorships; funds raised through Facebook, and those that had previously been pledged or donated. The Dozen Dimes Foundation match is capped at $100,000. Matched donations will not be reflected on individual or team pages but will be added to the total amount raised from the virtual walks.
