The Valerie Fund: The Next Generation in Philanthropy

For those of you, like fellow Current Ground writer Alex Mercho, who have already involved yourselves in various charities, congratulations. You have already unearthed the facts I am about to unveil to the rest of us. But, for those of you whose sole experience with philanthropy rests in that time you gave an additional dollar at the supermarket cash register — listen up. When one connects young person and charity, he or she thinks volunteer. Indeed, when it comes to philanthropy, the majority of street-level volunteers are young people. It may also not come as a surprise to learn that when it comes to online advertisements, young people also lead the way in giving to charity. We do know technology the best, after all. So what’s the problem?

Well, in every other form of giving, we are downright lousy. Mail-in, cash collection, doorstep and deep involvement — count us out for the most part. We’re too busy starting our lives, right? Wrong. There is an enormous difference between perceptions of personal wealth (and concerns about financial uncertainty), and actual disposable income. For most of us, there will be two peaks of disposable income in our lives. The obvious one is after our kids graduate high school and/or college, but the first one is actually right now. We’re single, renting out a place to live (cheaper) and are pretty mindful of our spending. The truth is now is a better time to give than ever. Unfortunately, there is almost zero correlation between charitable giving and levels of disposable income.

Here’s a hopeful fact, though. Young people tend to donate the most when they are passionate about a cause they believe in. Take a look at a charity that is both on a mission for a noble cause, and also striving to involve and inform our generation on the importance of giving.

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The Valerie Fund is named after Valerie Goldstein, a courageous nine-year-old, who ultimately lost her battle against cancer in 1976. When Valerie became ill in the early 70′s, there were no comprehensive care facilities for children with cancer and blood disorders in New Jersey. In order to provide their daughter with the best available treatment, Ed and Sue Goldstein commuted hundreds of miles a week to New York City. What little energy they had, and so desperately needed, was used dealing with parking, long car rides and additional family strain.

Together in the Goldsteins’ basement, an assortment of kind friends reached out and supported the Goldsteins’ wish that no parents would ever have to endure what they had to go through. In the fund’s own words, the goal was simple:  ”to provide families with regional outpatient treatment centers at top pediatric hospitals within an hour’s drive of most of the state’s population, providing state-of-the-art medical and emotional care in a happy, upbeat, child-centered atmosphere.”

In 1977, New Jersey’s first comprehensive care facility for children with cancer and blood disorders, The Valerie Fund Children’s Center at Overlook Hospital, opened.

Today, there are seven Valerie Fund Children’s Centers in New Jersey, New York and the Philadelphia area. They host over 25,000 patient visits a year, and are now the largest network of children’s healthcare facilities for cancer and blood disorders in New Jersey. Most importantly, their network provides caring, comprehensive and state-of-the-art outpatient health care to the children and their families.

The Valerie Fund kids: above and below.

The Valerie Fund Junior Board consists of twenty one young and talented individuals, all dedicated to the cause and insistent on extending its longevity through seeking continued support and participation from our generation. Whereas many charities tend to focus their appeal toward an older, more established crowd, The Valerie Fund Junior Board goes right after young people. In fact, one of the primary goals of the the Junior Board is to assemble an ever-growing team of connected, enthusiastic young people through The Valerie Fund Young Associates program. Young Associates will have the ability to join committees suited to their own interests, engage in community outreach and also be invited to social events aimed specifically at younger members.

On that note…

The Valerie Fund announces their second annual Junior Board Gala will be held on March 3, 2012 from 8:30 to 12:30 at Broad Street Ballroom (New York City), and promises to be a night of dancing and drinking for a great cause. It’s a Mardi Gras theme, so that means cocktail attire, masks, beads and even a Jambalaya Brass Band. Looks like they admit they’re still in New York City, though. A DJ will eventually take over the festivities after you’ve had a few drinks from the open bar and purchased a few tickets for their raffle.

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So…you may be wondering why you’ve never seen anything like this on our website before? Well, that’s fair. But, we at Current Ground have made the decision to run a few features in the coming weeks about The Valerie Fund, and specifically interviews with a few members of their Junior Board. Why? Because giving really is important, and it’s made a hell of a lot easier when the charity incorporates young people in such a welcoming way; when involving a younger generation isn’t just a luxury, but a priority.

The Valerie Fund has not only shown a commitment to just that, but the young people that make up their Junior Board are incredibly successful individuals who come from a wide range of backgrounds. Needless to say, we are thrilled about the opportunity to interview a few of them, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy hearing their stories.

To learn more about The Valerie Fund, click here.

For additional information regarding the second annual Junior Board Gala, including purchasing tickets, click here.