ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Three volunteers who each lost family members to pancreatic cancer will lead the Steps for a Cure: Lehigh Valley Pancreatic Cancer Walk on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Lehigh Parkway, raising money for research and for direct aid to patients in the region.
The walk is organized by Paul Ulicny, Ed Ulicny and Stephanie Walker in partnership with Project Purple, a national pancreatic cancer nonprofit based in Seymour, Connecticut. In an Aug. 3 press release, the organization described the event as deeply personal for all three and provided comments from them.
“The Ulicny family has had 8 family members or close friends who have battled pancreatic cancer,” Paul Ulicny said in the release. “Among them was my best friend and fishing partner, my brother, Gene. He was only 46 years old when he passed on, leaving behind a wife and 3 young children. That’s why I help the fight to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.”
Walker lost her mother to the disease, according to the release. “The Lehigh Valley walk allows me to honor the memory of my mother, who quickly lost her battle with this terrible cancer,” she said. “I’m proud to be part of this very caring community coming together to raise funds to develop early detection options, do more research, and support one another on this tough journey. We’re stronger and better together.”
Ed Ulicny described three losses in the release: Gene, whom both he and Paul Ulicny call their brother and who he said served as his best man; his wife, Debra, who he said lived with the disease for 6 1/2 years; and Warren Kratzer, whom he described as his best friend from the neighborhood.
“With these three major losses in my life, I felt compelled to be more involved with fighting this terrible disease,” he said. “That is why I spend my time, energy, and funds in the fight against Pancreatic Cancer.”
Their focus on early detection reflects the odds. The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics, 2026 report puts five-year survival for pancreatic cancer at 13%, unchanged for a third straight year, and ranks it the third-leading cause of cancer death nationally.
Survival rises to roughly 44% when the disease is caught before it spreads, though the society reports only about 17% of cases are found that early.
Steps for a Cure is a Project Purple program in which volunteers apply to host walks in their own communities, with the nonprofit supplying branding, online registration and guidance on permits and route planning.
The organization describes the Lehigh Valley event as newly brought to the region by the three organizers; its event archives list no earlier Allentown walk. Other 2026 walks in the series are scheduled in Highland, New York, and Norwalk, Connecticut.
It is not the only pancreatic cancer walk at the park. The Lustgarten Foundation has held its Lehigh Valley Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Lehigh Parkway since about 2009 and has scheduled this year’s for Sunday, Sept. 20. The two are separate events benefiting separate organizations.
According to the event’s registration page, participants can choose a 3-mile or 1.5-mile route; the course is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible, and leashed pets are welcome.
The event hub at 1696 Park Drive opens at 9 a.m. for check-in and community booths; a kick-off ceremony with survivors and community leaders begins at 10 a.m., and walking starts at 10:15 a.m. The Emmaus Lions Club and Crest Custom Painting are listed as sponsors, along with six other businesses.
Registration is open at the event’s fundraising page. Standard entry costs $20 and includes a walk-day T-shirt and bib, and a free option that includes a bib without a shirt is also offered.
A $20 virtual registration for those walking elsewhere sends the shirt and bib by mail, though the page notes participants signing up after July 31 may receive shirts after walk day. The campaign showed $5,560 raised toward a $50,000 goal as of Aug. 4.
Questions can be directed to Project Purple at 203-646-7590 or ryan@projectpurple.org.