For more than 20 years, the Val Skinner Foundation (VSF) has been dedicated to developing programs and raising funds to help in the fight to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

In 2000 we created LIFE — LPGA Pros In the Fight to Eradicated breast cancer and conceptualized a national campaign called the Young Women’s Initiative. Together with carefully chosen benefactors, we have focused our efforts on programs that are life saving in terms of research and treatment and national in scope in terms of education.

We are committed to reaching our goals:

• Create a better experience through education for women and families dealing with breast cancer and related cancers

• Develop programs that prevent late-stage cancer detection.

• Fund cancer research projects that improve treatment options for future generations.

Breast Cancer Research

From its inception, VSF has worked collaboratively with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (RCINJ), one of the leading nationally designated comprehensive cancer centers. VSF is highly focused on support of precision medicine research for triple negative breast cancer at RCINJ. VSF funding is currently at work in the RCINJ lab and continually concentrates on finding program opportunities with breakthrough potential. While many strides have been made in cancer research there are still far too many breast cancer patients that run out of treatment options under current standards of care. We are particularly excited about a program that RCINJ is currently working on in support of finding effective drug therapies for breast cancer based on patient specific RNA sequencing. This research shows promise to have a significant impact on the standard of care within a 12 to 24 month period.

Breast Cancer Education

It is well known that awareness, early detection and healthy breast health care practices are essential in saving lives. Our Young Women’s Initiative is specifically focused on educational programs that are geared toward reaching a younger generation. VSF has partnered with globally recognized organizations that provide us with national reach for the development of critically important education. The Foundation is currently working with Discovery Education on a cutting-edge digital educational platform, decodingcancer.org. Decoding Cancer is now in 90% of high school science and biology classes nationwide.

Breast Cancer Treatment and Clinical Services

Our benefactor, RCINJ is the state's first and only National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center. RCINJ has developed a high-risk breast cancer program, which has been named the LIFE Center after the Foundation’s advocacy. The LIFE Center has established a multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts including medical oncologists, surgeons, geneticists, genetic counselors, psychologists, and nurse practitioners, to study unique causes, identify risk factors and develop effective strategies for young women and all women at risk and their families. Our funding of the LIFE Center is at work supporting the genetic counseling services and providing outreach services to statewide affliates that RCINJ serves.