Val Skinner Foundation Surpasses $8.5 Million for Breast Cancer Awareness Initiatives

(GLADSTONE, NJ) – More than 25 LPGA stars gathered Monday at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J. to raise $600,000 at former LPGA player and current Golf Channel commentator Val Skinner’s 14th annual LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) tournament.

Thanks to the support of Karrie Webb, Lexi Thompson, Christina Kim, Morgan Pressel and others, the Val Skinner Foundation has raised more than $8.5 million since 2000. Skinner founded LIFE to honor fellow LPGA player Heather Farr, who died of breast cancer in 1993.

“Outside of the majors, this is the only event I mark on my calendar every year,” said Webb. “We’ve all been touched by breast cancer in some fashion and the LIFE event provides a chance to give back in a meaningful way.”

LIFE event proceeds helped create and support programs for the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, including the development of six education-based LIFE Centers. The foundation and Cancer Institute of New Jersey partnered to implement BioCONNECT, a hands-on cancer curriculum taught in New Jersey and South Carolina schools, and BOLD, a summer camp for high school students.

The Val Skinner Foundation was the founding sponsor of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Komen on the Go, an interactive educational mobile tour that traveled to universities. LIFE funds also helped launch Young Women Walking, aimed at 16-23-year-olds in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

Each year, Skinner honors LIFE Heroes who have demonstrated courage in the face of breast cancer and/or purpose to fight the disease. 2013 Heroes were breast cancer survivor Cati Diamond Stone, executive director of the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, and current breast cancer patient Malaya Southern.

At Monday’s event, Skinner presented $100,000 to the Cancer Institute’s precision medicine initiative in the name of Bridget Mooney Spence, a 2009 Hero who passed away this spring at age 29 from an aggressive form of breast cancer.  This initiative allows individual patient’s tumors to be analyzed for the molecular drivers that cause cancer to grow and allows doctors to determine the personalized or precise therapy for that patient.

LIFE event partners include Amy and Joe Perella, MARSH, Guy Carpenter, C.R. Bard, Genentech and EmblemHealth. Others include Assured Guaranty, The ACE Group, Atlantic City Electric, QualCare, Cox Charity Classic, Lincoln and Gina and Michael Martin, Ed Herlihy, Ken Langone, Raj Alva, Mark Rachesky and Sandler, O’Neill & Partners.

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