Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month begins today, and Kelly’s Heroes is part of a worldwide campaign to change the trajectory of this deadly disease.

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 10 percent, and it’s one of the few cancers where mortality rates continue to rise. Kelly’s Heroes joins with its fellow members of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer, its symptoms and risks and the importance of early detection. Catching it early is critical for survival. The five-year survival rate plunges to just 1 percent when the disease is diagnosed at stage 4 when it has spread to other organs.

The highlight of the month is Nov. 18 — World Pancreatic Cancer Day — and we hope you’ll join us in spreading awareness. Here are ways to help:

• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at 1kellysheroes and share our information posts.

• Wear purple on Nov. 18 and post a photo of yourself on social media. Use the hashtags #KellysHeroesWPCD and #ItsAboutTime. Kerry McKean Kelly will make a donation to pancreatic cancer research for each photo you post.
• Go to www.worldpancreaticcancercoalition.org to learn more about pancreatic cancer and the global effort to increase survival.

The small-but-mighty Kelly’s Heroes running team of Bill Kettelberger, Kacey Kelly and Luke Schlaifer followed in Steve Kelly’s footsteps by finishing the Ocean City, N.J., half-marathon Sept. 26. Thanks to generous donors, their efforts raised $5,000 in the race for a cure.

We’ll be lacing up the sneakers again in 2022, so watch future this space and our social media platforms to join Team Kelly’s Heroes and pound the boards for pancreatic cancer!

Our Teed Off! Golf Outing, rained out by Tropical Storm Ida, has been rescheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, at Mercer Oaks. Everything else remains unchanged — the 9 am. start time, the post-match buffet and raffles, the Hole in One contest and the same important cause to bring hope to pancreatic cancer patients.

If you had previously signed up to golf on our original date, please reply before Sept. 9 to Rich at rich.g.harbison@gmail.com and let us know: Yes, you plan to join us on the new date; or no, the new date doesn’t work for you. (Please include mailing information for your refund.)

If you didn’t sign up for the original date but would like to golf with us Sept. 16, go to www.kellysheroes.ngo/join-us and use the original registration form to register by Sept. 9. Questions? Email us at 1kellysheroes@gmail.com.

For the safety and comfort of our golfers, sponsors and volunteers, we have suspended our Teed Off! Golf Outing for tomorrow, Sept. 1, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida bring rain and thunderstorms to our area. We will confer with the golf club to identify a potential rain date in the coming weeks and will be in touch soon with golfers and sponsors regarding next steps. You may also check this site for updates. 
Thank you, as always, for your support and understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon to continue our unfinished business against pancreatic cancer! 

Our Teed Off! Golf Outing to Fight Pancreatic Cancer is one week from today, and it wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors. These generous, community-minded businesses help us raise hope for those facing pancreatic cancer. Proceeds from our golf outing support the $100,000 Steve Kelly Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Johns Hopkins. Many thanks to our Ace Sponsors Blue Rock Construction, Erytech, Hydro and Pennsylvania Steel Co.; our Eagle Sponsors M&T Bank, Philadelphia Inquirer and Bob Cottone/Rue Insurance; and our Birdie Sponsor Habib Law.

Grab your clubs, gather your foursome and join us Sept. 1 for Kelly’s Heroes’ Teed Off! Golf Outing to Fight Pancreatic Cancer! It’s our first in-person event since the pandemic, and we can’t wait to have some fun while kicking the tar outta’ pancreatic cancer. Proceeds from our outing benefit the Steve Kelly Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Johns Hopkins, which gives pancreatic cancer patients access to clinical trials and promising new treatments.

Golf registration and sponsor sign-ups are now open. We’ll return to Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J., with a 9 a.m. shotgun start scramble, a box lunch, post-match buffet, cocktails, prizes and raffles.

Sponsors enjoy an opportunity to join with a cancer advocacy 501c3 which, as an all-volunteer organization, ensures that 100 percent of our proceeds support clinical trials that give patients hope for increased survival against pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death.

Circle Sept. 1 on your calendar! The Kelly’s Heroes Teed Off! Golf Outing to Fight Pancreatic Cancer is back, live and in person, at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J. We look forward to gathering with friends old and new to raise funds for a cause that is near and dear to us – kicking the tar outta’ pancreatic cancer, as our inspiration Steve Kelly liked to say. Proceeds from our golf outing benefit the $100,000 Steve Kelly Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Johns Hopkins and support clinical trials that gives patients hope for increased survival. Registration information will be shared here shortly, or email us at 1kellysheroes@gmail.com to join our mailing list and be assured you won’t miss all the latest news and information. We can’t wait to see you on the links!

Friday, March 13, is your lucky day! It’s Kelly’s Heroes’ 5th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party, where we party for a purpose – a better future for those facing pancreatic cancer.

The annual event will be held 7 to 11 p.m. at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Proceeds benefit the Steve Kelly Fund for Pancreatic Research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Your registration includes Irish-inspired hors d’oeuvres, dinner buffet, open bar, entertainment by the Denogla Ardmore dancers, an open dance floor with DJ Kyle, raffles and more! Steve Kelly always called his annual St. Patrick’s Day party one of the best days of the year. Let’s celebrate his memory and continue his legacy of hope.

Download our mail-in registration form for more details, or go to the Join Us page to pay securely online using the Donate button.

Kelly’s Heroes’ 5th Annual Teed Off! Golf Outing marked a major milestone Oct. 8, as the nonprofit announced the establishment of the $100,000 Steve Kelly Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

“This is made possible through your generous support,” Kelly’s Heroes co-founder Kerry McKean Kelly told the golfers and sponsors gathered at the event. “You make hope happen.”

A record turnout of 96 golfers hit the links with Kelly’s Heroes, raising $16,000 to support clinical trials for those diagnosed with the world’s toughest cancer.

The winner of the Green Jacket — a Steve Kelly tradition — was Bob Knorr. Congratulations also to the winning team of Bill Habib, Luke Habib, Matt Pruitt and Tom Rozmus. Second place went to Steve Kettelberger, Jim Bergen, Joe Quattrone and Christine Anderson, while third place went to Tom Meneskie, Rich Bloemeke and Jim Dailey.

Kelly’s Heroes also extends its thanks to its generous sponsors:

• Blue Rock Construction
• Erytech
• Pennsylvania Steel Company
• The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com
• Habib Law
• M & T Bank
• Jackson Cross
• The Macrae Family