On Mother’s Day 2023, Mullica Hill resident Sean Skelly launched View On Cancer, now a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was a gift to his wife and in honor of his mother, both of whom were cancer patients and always kept a positive view throughout their entire journeys.
Sean’s mother, Moe, suffered from pancreatic cancer and lost her battle in September 2022. One week after Moe passed away, Sean’s wife, Jen, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a difficult year for the Skelly family, to say the least. However, the support from the local community made a difference in their own lives, and they wanted to do the same for other local families.
“We kind of kept things (about our family) tight-lipped for a long time, because we weren’t advertising everything that was going on. But when people found out and saw what we were going through, the amount of support from the local community was absolutely tremendous,” Sean said.
“So fast forward, once my wife was clear from breast cancer, we launched View On Cancer as an opportunity for us to give back and help others, because we realized how much it meant for us to know that we had a community of people behind us,” he continued. “The outreach was absolutely tremendous, and so our goal, really, was to be able to provide just a little bit of delight to some people, whether it just put a smile on their face or know that they had people there to support them.”
View On Cancer was a surprise from Sean to his wife, Jen, when it launched. (Sean and Jen are vice-president and president respectively). The couple did not expect it to grow or be a full-on organization. However, once they realized the amount of people cancer has impacted locally, their mission changed.
Initially, they focused on making gift baskets for local cancer patients, which Jen personalizes for each person. Then, they began to help out families with financial needs. Through word of mouth, the organization has grown over the last three and a half years, raising more than $30,000 and using it to help about 30 local families.
A Harrison Township Soccer team repping pink-wear from View On Cancer.
View On Cancer now is active in the Mullica Hill and Gloucester County area. In addition to providing personalized gift baskets and donating funds, the organization annually gives out scholarships to local senior students who have been diagnosed with cancer themselves or supporting a loved one with cancer, they host popular fundraising events and they partner with local sports teams to rep pink socks and uniforms during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
And on Friday, October 23, View On Cancer will partner with the Clearview Regional High School football team for its Pink Night game. Players and cheerleaders will be donned in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Plus, pink merch for the football team is available on the View On Cancer website.
All month, Harrison Soccer Club teams were sporting pink socks at their games, too, which is another partnership View On Cancer runs annually. This year, Sean said there were more than 300 pairs of soccer socks dispersed throughout the entire Harrison Soccer Club community.
On Saturday, November 14, View On Cancer will host its annual Pizza & Pints for Pink event at Bonesaw Brewing in Glassboro. One of the event’s sponsors is Il Fuoco Dentro, which will provide the pizza for guests and the popular fastest pizza eating contest, which has a children and adult competition. The event itself is free to attend; proceeds from each pizza sold will go towards View On Cancer’s donations.
View On Cancer’s most popular event is held in May during the Kentucky Derby. The Derby Day fundraiser welcomes community members to dress up in Derby apparel, dine, drink, take a shot at raffle baskets and watch the Kentucky Derby at the Mullica Hill American Legion.
To learn more about View On Cancer, nominate a family in need, purchase pink merch or see its upcoming events, go to www.viewoncancer.com.
An example of the many care baskets View On Cancer creates and donates to local cancer patients.
