All proceeds benefit the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, a non-profit public charity founded in January, 2004 to foster melanoma education, advocacy and research for this most dangerous and lethal form of skin cancer.  Skin cancer is the #1 cancer in the U.S. and melanoma skin cancer, responsible for 75% of all skin cancer deaths, is the #1 most common cancer among young adults ages 25-29, and the #2 most common cancer among adolescents and young adults ages 15-29.  In 2010, 114,900 new cases of melanoma were projected to be diagnosed in the U.S.; and 8,700 individuals were expected to die.

In just over seven-years, the Foundation has grown dramatically to become influential in the melanoma community, and is now established as a national and international, voice for melanoma prevention, detection, care and cure.  The Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation is proud of numerous achievements to date that include:

• Underwriting melanoma research at numerous prestigious cancer centers across the U.S., specifically through research scholarships to the best and brightest young graduate student scientists, to advance discovery of effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for melanoma;
• Successfully launching and expanding a comprehensive High School health curriculum for the key demographic of students (and their families), to learn the deadly risks of melanoma skin cancer and UV-safe preventative practices;
• Targeted initiatives, and multi-channel outreach, to ensure broader national awareness of melanoma prevention and detection by the general public; and,
• Providing essential advocacy and care resources for patients and the entire melanoma community.