The Valerie Fund News

The Valerie Fund Announces 50th Anniversary

The Valerie Fund is marking 50 years of hope and healing for children with cancer and blood disorders and calls for patients and caregivers to reconnect

MAPLEWOOD, NJ (January 27, 2026) - The Valerie Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to providing comprehensive care to children with cancer and blood disorders, is marking 50 years since its foundation. The past 50 years have seen The Valerie Fund grow from an idea shared in a grieving family’s living room—a vision born from loss and love—into a lifeline for children battling cancer and blood disorders.

What began as a need to make cancer care accessible to families in New Jersey has grown into a network of eight Valerie Fund Children’s Centers and a dedicated Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care program supporting more than 6,500 children treated for cancer and blood disorders, from metro Philadelphia to eastern Long Island. The Goldsteins pioneered the concept of treating the whole child and family. From their experiences with their daughter Valerie, they intuitively understood that integrating medical care and psychosocial services would help families navigate the painful journey from diagnosis to treatment to follow-up.

We invite you to be a part of our anniversary journey as we honor Valerie Goldstein, her parents Ed & Sue Goldstein, and the patients, families, caregivers, and all others who have been part of our 50 years. Throughout this anniversary year, we will share stories of the lives touched by their care at one of our Valerie Fund Children’s Centers and host a special 50th anniversary event for our patient and caregiver community. Please join us in this memorable moment.

We hope to reach as many of the thousands of Valerie Fund kids as possible - past and present, who are spread across the country. Our goal is to recognize a half-century of hope and healing by honoring our extraordinary patients, their families, and patient-family/caregiver communities. We invite them to add their chapter to the collective Valerie Fund story by sharing the small or large ways their Valerie Fund experience has influenced their life. Please share your story at https://thevaleriefund.org/50th-anniversary/. If you are or know someone who was treated through one of The Valerie Fund Children’s Centers, please share this with them.

ABOUT THE VALERIE FUND: After their nine-year-old daughter Valerie Goldstein succumbed to cancer in 1976, her parents Sue and Ed Goldstein were determined that no family should have to travel great distances to receive superior medical care. Along with a group of close friends, they began fundraising efforts from their living room---tireless work that would lead to the 1977 opening of New Jersey’s first pediatric oncology facility at Summit’s Overlook Hospital. Nearly fifty years later, The Valerie Fund’s mission remains that of supporting comprehensive healthcare for children battling cancer and blood disorders. The Valerie Fund treats more than 6,500 patients each year at eight treatment centers and a dedicated pediatric pain & palliative care program across New Jersey, New York, and metro Philadelphia.