The Valerie Fund awards $80K in college scholarships to 47 cancer and blood disorder patients to encourage post secondary education.

The Valerie Fund has supported children with cancer and blood disorders since 1976 and is committed to finding more opportunities to help these same teenagers and young adults succeed.  With this goal in mind The Valerie Fund is proud to announce that in 2013 The Valerie Fund Scholarship Committee awarded $80,000 in scholarships to 47 students who are currently or have been treated in our centers.  These students span all seven Valerie Fund Centers and are attending 30 prestigious colleges and universities across the country.  This year's scholarships ranged in size from $500 to $5,000 and the total awarded was a 40% increase over 2012.

As education costs continue to rise, The Valerie Fund Scholarship Committee has seen a steady increase in applications from both pediatric cancer patients and those living with blood disorders. "These are outstanding kids," says committee member Debbie Schiller, "they're hardworking and highly motivated to get the best education they can. Their applications reflect a universal anxiety about how to make up the difference between tuition costs and what their families can afford to pay."

Schiller was one of the committee members and took great pleasure in being able to support these brave young adults. "They survived their battles with cancer and blood disorders only to encounter another obstacle, the financial struggles of a college education.  We felt a strong need to support our kids and help them manage this burden as they have already had so much to deal with."