About the Fund
Origin and Purpose of the fund.
Jennifer Sweatman was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on November 2, 1973. She graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1991 as a Gold F scholar and Honor student. In her senior year at the University of Hartford, Jennifer was completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology when she was diagnosed with melanoma. She continued her studies as she fought the disease.
She pushed on and earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in 1997, graduating magna cum laude. Jennifer then was hired as a physical therapist at Bayonne Hospital in New Jersey to help develop the new pediatric physical therapy program. All the while, she still fought the disease.
On June 2, 1999, Jenn lost her battle with cancer. Her family and friends decided to do something in memory of her life that would help others in similar situations. They took all of the donations given in her name to establish a fund to keep Jennifer’s spirit and memory alive. Our goal is to support the causes which Jenn was so passionate about.
In the fall of 1999, papers were filed with the Internal Revenue Department, requesting tax-exempt status. Thankfully, with the help of many friends, we were granted such status by the winter of 2000. The Jennifer Sweatman Memorial Fund raises money to support those causes which embodied her life.
Melanoma
Education
Foundation
We are now involved with the Melanoma Education Foundation out of Peabody, Mass. Any teacher who would like to receive AT NO COST a program about melanoma awareness could contact us via our web site or go directly to http://skincheck.org. You will be sent a teacher training dvd, a student dvd for either grades 6-8 or 9-12, handouts and skin check book markers. Materials are renewable each year. You will be impressed with this program. One class could save a life.
Press
In 2012 our group was able to team with three other families in building a relaxation patio at the Henry Heywood Clinic.
The Jennifer Sweatman Memorial Fund was recently thanked in the Winter 2008 issue of “Healthy Developments,” a donor publication of HealthAlliance Hospital (A member of UMass Memorial Health Care). View Article (85.7kb JPEG).