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.

The Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. As such, it is uniquely positioned to bring state-of-the-art clinical services and programs and access to clinical research trials to New Jersey and surrounding areas.

Funds donated through the LIFE Event support the LIFE Center. Founded in 2002 to recognize the advocacy and leadership role of Val Skinner and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the LIFE Center was established to provide increasing awareness of and supporting programs for young women with an increased risk for breast cancer.

Through a multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts including medical oncologists, surgeons, geneticists, genetic counselors, psychologists, and nurse practitioners, The LIFE Center provides genetic counseling and risk assessment for women at risk. Experts housed there study factors that may cause early onset breast cancer and work to develop effective preventive strategies for young women at risk and their families.

The LIFE Center has also developed a familial cancer registry database of individuals seen through the programs. Researchers with permission to access a cancer registry can study factors implicated in cancer development including the genetic and environmental causes, ultimately leading to early detection, prevention, improved treatments and benefits for research.

LIFE funds have been used to expand the LIFE Center services to numerous New Jersey area hospitals.

Visit CINJ.org

The Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is the only international, non-profit network of breast cancer survivors and supporters dedicated to the concerns and issues that are unique to young women affected by breast cancer. The Young Survival Coalition has used LIFE grants specifically for peer support and educational programs for young women living with metastiatic breast cancer.

To learn more about YSC, visit www.youngsurvival.org.

“Decoding Cancer” is a ground-breaking collection of standards-aligned interactive classroom resources created by a visionary group of breast cancer advocates, experts, and educators - the Val Skinner Foundation, the LIFE Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in collaboration with the Rutgers School of Public Health, and Discovery Education. Decoding Cancer facilitates meaningful discussions among high school teachers, students, and families through comprehensive digital resources.

An innovative and interactive high school biology and genetics education program featuring the BioCONECT (Biology of Cancer, Online Education Connecting Teens) curriculum, Decoding Cancer enhances science literacy and increases cancer education and awareness among youth. Click here to see a flyer about the program.

Visit DecodingCancer.org

In 2013, The Val Skinner Foundation and its LIFE Event partners helped launch Young Women Walking, or YW2, an event for women age 16-23 targeted at raising awareness for breast cancer. The events took place on the Saturday of each Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event and included a 20-mile walk, special reception in the Val Skinner tent and an evening of activities to celebrate the mission and activation of advocacy for research. YW2 is designed to not only educate this generation, but to activate their advocacy for research.

The Val Skinner Foundation in collaboration with Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, founded Komen On the Go™ in 2004. The mobile experience tour educated and engaged people of all ages in the breast cancer movement for more than eight years. From inner cities to community festivals; public universities to neighborhood centers, Komen on the Go’s signature bright pink vehicles toured the country teaching Americans everywhere to take charge of their breast health and empowering participants to share information with friends and join the breast cancer movement. The tour visited communities across the United States, educating and elevating thousands of people with messages of hope.

Visit Komen.org

The Val Skinner Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) worked together to co-conceptualize the Young Women’s Initiative, a multifaceted effort organized to educate young women and other audiences about the risk of breast cancer and the importance of early detection through various programs. Programs coordinated by these organizations and funded by LIFE continue to move this initiative.