Purple Pansies recently held its Annual Guest Appreciation Day in an effort to raise money for pancreatic cancer research. 

The free event hosted by Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant featured a complimentary buffet, live music and games. This is the 12th year the restaurant has hosted the event to help raise money for the nonprofit.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers — 80% of patients will not survive one year from time of diagnosis — yet only receive 6% of research funding. Because it is not one of the more common cancers and accounts for 3% of all cancers in the U.S. and 7% of all cancer deaths, it can be difficult to detect and treat. The desire to improve survival rates has been the driving force behind Fundora and organization for more than 11 years.

Purple Pansies is completely volunteer-run, and before this year’s event, the nonprofit had raised over $3 million to date to fund research and aid affected families. 

Much of the event›s proceeds will help fund TGen, or Translational Genomics Research Institute, for research, clinical trials and early detection. 

TGen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life-changing results and is affiliated with City of Hope.

To learn how you can help end pancreatic cancer visit www.purplepansies.org.