The launch of this innovative partnership comes near the two-year anniversary of the passing of Leanne Drummy after a short battle with stomach cancer. Drummy was one of the longest-serving employees at eCreators, which merged with Open LMS in October 2020.

Four days after Drummy's passing, by coincidence, Open LMS Senior Director of Sales, Liam Liddicoat, met Doug Hawkins, CEO of Pancare, at a networking event. After Doug and Liam began talking, it was clear that the organizations could partner together to help deliver essential resources for those in Drummy's position.

"The partnership with Pancare comes at an important time for Open LMS," said Liddicoat. "By working together and providing Pancare volunteers with world-class onboarding and by boosting support for those with GI cancers, our teams have an opportunity to come together, while building a profound legacy for Leanne."

Stomach cancer is an upper-GI cancer that often goes undiagnosed in the early stages. Out of all the major cancers, upper GI cancers have some of the lowest survival rates, yet little attention or funding is allocated to support vital research and improve patient outcomes. The Pancare Foundation, along with its network of volunteers, aims to improve outcomes for those with GI cancers.

As part of the partnership, Open LMS will provide Pancare with its open source learning platform for Pancare's volunteer training program, helping the foundation enable, engage, and mobilize a growing volunteer workforce while providing additional support for those suffering from GI cancers.

The implementation will have a significant and positive impact on the program, according to Pancare's Head of Operations, Bernie Muscat.

"Typically, volunteer programs can be very resource intensive," said Muscat. "However, this new volunteer training platform will enable Pancare Foundation to free up resources and onboard our volunteers as quickly as possible, so they can commence their invaluable contribution to the Foundation."