The firm’s corporate social responsibility outreach, has chosen Purple Pansies as its 2022 Nonprofit Partner. Purple Pansies is dedicated to funding research and clinical trials to eliminate pancreatic cancer. It also assists patients and their families by bestowing emergency grants and scholarships.

“We’re fired up about working with Purple Pansies this year,” Patrick Lowther said. “With no paid staff, 98% of what it raises goes directly to research, patients and families. We hope to help them reach a whole new level.”

Metro Atlanta restaurateur Maria Fundora founded the all-volunteer organization in honor of her late mother, Iluminada Milian. By the time many patients have symptoms, it is often already too late. Milian, like so many others, passed away within months of her diagnosis.

“When I lost her to this deadly disease, I said, ‘I have to do something,’” Fundora recalls. “I wanted to make a difference and help other families avoid what my family had endured. When one person has cancer, the entire family has cancer.”

Fundora notes that while pancreatic cancer has an extremely high mortality rate, it receives only 6% of cancer research funding.

Two things inspired the nonprofit’s name. Purple represents pancreatic cancer. Pansies, though small, are incredibly resilient flowers.

“We’re small but we are powerful,” Fundora concluded. “And we welcome the firm to our Purple Pansies community.”

Every year the firm chooses a nonprofit to support with fundraising and volunteering. The effort culminates with a beer-and-wine-tasting fundraiser called “Cheers.” The event in honor of Purple Pansies will be held in spring of 2023. Over the past decade, the program has raised and donated almost $2.1 million dollars to dozens of worthy causes.

To learn more about the cancer-fighting nonprofit’s mission, visit PurplePansies.org.