The Valerie Fund Blog

Our next series of blogs will feature each of the seven Valerie Fund Children's Centers located in hospitals throughout the tri-state area. With multidisciplinary teams of doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals, these centers focus on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the 6,000 patients that are treated each year by The Valerie Fund. This care starts at the time of a patient's diagnosis to well after their treatment has ended. 

Topics: child life, social worker, Blood Disorders, pediatric, cancer, childhood cancer, sickle cell, caregivers, awareness, oncology, centers, new jersey, nonprofit

World Subaru presents The 3rd Annual Rook 5K Run on Sunday, September 25th. Fundraising goal of $250,000 to benefit The Valerie Fund. 

Growing company makes a great cup of coffee and is making a difference in the lives of children battling cancer and blood disorders.

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 Long Branch, N.J., August 22, 2016 - Nearly 1,500 runners have already signed up to participate in the 3rd Annual Rook Run and the field is expected to grow to over 3,000 by the time the starter gun goes off at 10:00 AM on Sunday, September 25th. More than 150 volunteers and hundreds of supporters will be on hand to watch the USATF certified 5K Run at the start and finish lines along the Long Branch boardwalk adjacent to the Great Lawn Amphitheatre, 10 Ocean Avenue. 

Topics: Blood Disorders, childhood cancer, 5k, community events, rook, rook coffee, fundraising

The genesis of a new project by Valerie Fund founders Sue and Ed Goldstein titled “The Voices that Cancer and Blood Disorders Couldn’t Silence. Where They Are Now.”  came out of the understanding that the number of personal experiences that shape patients’ futures are immeasurable. They were curious about the journey current and former Valerie Fund patients have been on since diagnosis and they believe a collection of these stories would be a thought-provoking and rewarding read.

Topics: Blood Disorders, cancer, Publication, survivor, 40 years

When Valerie’s family and friends sought to honor her memory 40 years ago, most were new to the world of philanthropy and unlikely fully aware of the challenges of raising money.

Since the first Valerie Fund Children’s Center opened at Summit’s Overlook Medical Center in 1976, the extraordinary growth of The Valerie Fund has been rooted in founders Sue and Ed Goldstein’s own heartbreaking experiences and their desire to provide compassionate care close to home. This year we will celebrate the generosity, willingness to give back and tireless efforts of so many.

While there is so much more to do, we can reflect on the 40th Anniversary of the founding of The Valerie Fund and be proud of the fact that thousands of critically ill children and their families were not alone as they navigated the many challenges faced following a devastating diagnosis of cancer or a blood disorder.

We can appreciate the integration of top-notch medical care with a growing range of customized therapeutic services offered by social workers, child life specialists, educational liaisons, psychologists and specialists in integrative medicine and palliative care. We can acknowledge that while rarely covered by health insurance, these social services play a vital role in addressing quality of life issues during the treatment and healing process.

Topics: Non-profit, Blood Disorders, cancer, childhood cancer, philanthropy, 40 years

The Valerie Fund Board of Directors is proud to announce a new Center will join The Valerie Fund healthcare network serving children in our area with cancer and blood disorders. The St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Paterson-based outpatient facility strengthens The Valerie Fund's ability to offer top-notch services and programs for children and their families in other parts of New Jersey. The official date for the inclusion is July 1, 2016.

Topics: Pediatric Cancer, Blood Disorders, hematology, oncology, centers, out-patient cancer, out-patient, new jersey

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The Valerie Walk and JAG Physical Therapy 5K Run, now in its 11th year, is a fine example of the successful growth of a small community event with a big heart. More than $5,000,000 has been raised since a group of people met at Verona (NJ) Park in 2006 to celebrate the courage and resilience of children being treated for cancer and blood disorders. 

Just as The Valerie Fund began in the living room of founders Ed and Sue Goldstein to honor their nine-year-old daughter Valerie’s memory, the first Walk-a-thon brought an intimate number of supporters together who wanted to show their thanks and raise money for the non-profit organization. The Valerie Fund’s mission is to provide comprehensive health care services to young patients and their families at a most vulnerable time.

Valerie was treated at hospitals in New York City for Ewing’s Sarcoma (bone cancer) for six years until she passed away in 1976. Her parent’s vision was to spare other families with critically ill children the additional suffering associated with traveling long distances to receive state-of-the-art medical care.

Topics: Blood Disorders, childhood cancer, 5k, walk, walkathon, sponsors, run, events

The Valerie Fund is a not-for-profit organization that provides caring, comprehensive, state-of-the-art outpatient health care to more than 4,000 children and their families each year. The Valerie Fund Walk & JAG Physical Therapy 5K Run will be held in Essex County’s Verona Park on Saturday, June 11, 2016 and has raised one million dollars in each of the last four years. The Walk and 5K Run supports The Valerie Fund's mission to provide comprehensive health care for children with cancer and blood disorders. Every step and every dollar raised helps at The Valerie Fund Centers. Patients receive far more than treatment for their physical illnesses. The Valerie Fund's philosophy is that to truly heal the children with whose care we are entrusted, we must treat them emotionally, socially, and developmentally, as well as medically.

Topics: Blood Disorders, childhood cancer, 5k, verona, walk, run

The Valerie Fund would like to share a letter that we received from Ed and Sue Goldstein, founders of The Valerie Fund in support of our Friend to Friend Campaign: Give, Share, Repeat. We are asking all of our supporters to share your knowledge and connection to The Valerie Fund with your friends, family and business associates just as Ed and Sue Goldstein have below. Join us by making a donation of your choice in support of The Valerie Fund Walk and JAG Physical Therapy 5K Run on June 11th. Then, post a letter on your social media about your relationship to The Valerie Fund and asking your friends to do the same and share with their social media. Our goal is to recruit one million supporters for this year's walk! Thank you and we hope you will consider this campaign! 

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Topics: Pediatric Cancer, Blood Disorders, sickle cell, 5k, awareness, walk, run

The popular use of various colored ribbons to promote disease awareness provides the perfect synergy to The Valerie Fund’s kickoff of fundraising activities leading up to the 2016 Walk and JAG Physical Therapy 5K Run to be held in Essex County’s Verona Park on Saturday, June 11, 2016.  Red ribbons for Sickle Cell Awareness and gold ribbons for Childhood Cancer are powerful symbols of the Red & Gold Campaign.  These meaningful colors of awareness will be the theme for the 2016 Valerie Fund Walk. 

Topics: Pediatric Cancer, Blood Disorders, sickle cell, 5k, awareness, walk, run

Suppose your only option for transporting your sick child to life-saving medical care was to use public transit. Imagine the physical and emotional strain—not to mention the risk of exposure to infection—of having to ride a bus, for instance, in order to reach the medical center where your child receives chemotherapy or a blood transfusion for sickle cell disease. Or, suppose you did not even have access to public transit and had no affordable way to transport your child to treatment at all.

Topics: Pediatric Cancer, Blood Disorders, childhood cancer, transportation