The Valerie Fund Blog

Name: Kelly Rossiter

The American Express Golf Tournament, held at the exclusive Baltusrol Golf Club, is the highlight of the summer for many supporters of The Valerie Fund. One doesn’t need to look far to understand the success of this fundraising event. Steve Squeri, Chairman and CEO of American Express, has been a valued partner for over two decades. Under his leadership, this annual golf tournament held at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ achieves new heights every year.

The 2023 Morgan Stanley Rec Day for The Valerie Fund was held at Turtle Back Zoo, offering a fun and engaging outdoor experience for all participants. More than 300 patients and their families were welcomed to the Zoo on May 7th by Morgan Stanley volunteers, and The Valerie Fund and Camp Happy Times staff. The volunteers welcomed the families and distributed the blue Morgan Stanley Rec Day t-shirts to the attendees. The families enjoyed lunch, rode the carousel, went on an African adventure and fed the giraffes,  interacted with sting rays and sharks in the Touch Tank, and rode the Zoo train.

The Valerie Fund Walk & 5K returned to the spring, as we came together with our Valerie Fund Community on June 10^th. This is one of our favorite days of the year, as we see our patients and their families come together with their supporters to celebrate and honor their strength and courage. The springtime weather in Verona Park made it the perfect setting for this magical event.

The Kids Ice Cancer exhibition game benefiting The Valerie Fund took place on June 2, 2023 at Codey Arena in West Orange, NJ. Organizer, Andrew Low, assembled two all-star teams of up-and-coming young hockey talent to be found in New Jersey. The pucks flew, many goals were scored and fundraising records were broken.

I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Burkitt lymphoma and so began my journey at The Valerie Fund Center in Goryeb's Children's Hospital. I felt spoiled most days, as the nurses, mind and body team, doctors and other people at the center would always go above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable, even though at that point that was impossible. They would book me massages, reiki treatments and aromatherapy sessions. I was able to play with the service dogs too.  My nurses encouraged me to focus on getting better however that may have looked. My doctors rallied around me as I would shave my head and put new symbols in it every time. We would discuss my education and what I planned to do with it down the road. My team at the Valerie Center in Morristown became my best friends.

Fall of 2012, I was a typical 21-year-old college student in Burlington, Vermont. I lived on my own, worked hard at school and managed a busy life, out with friends or at concerts when not in the classroom or at work. As such, being a bit more rundown and exhausted than usual did not strike me as anything to worry about. As Christmas break drew near, I wasn’t just tired but in pain. My stomach stopped cooperating. Every time I took a step, my stomach would hurt so bad I would stop moving. I had a large lump under my chin on one side, but not the other. I also found myself sweating even with the windows open at night in my apartment in Vermont.

The Valerie Fund 31^st Annual Thanksgiving Ball Gala was held November 18th at The Grove 

 in Cedar Grove, NJ. The evening showcased the talent of our Valerie Fund kids, with a beautiful musical performance given by River. Abigaël did an amazing job as MC, and gave a moving speech sharing her Valerie Fund journey.

The Valerie Fund was proud to honor The New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers and New Jersey's Franchised New Car and Truck Retailers and Team Stoma, Midlige & Brown. for their extensive efforts on behalf of the families of The Valerie Fund. We are grateful for their support and proud to call them Valerie Fund partners.

The  31st Annual Thanksgiving Ball Gala is coming up on November 18th and we can't wait! Each year, The Valerie Fund chooses a group of ambassadors to represent the wide array of patients receiving treatment at one of our seven Valerie Fund Children's Centers. These ambassadors share their stories of courage and perseverance.

Join us as we take a look at the second group of ambassadors who will be showcasing what being a Valerie Fund kid is all about.