Jessica Valentina Tyrol Memorial Fund
Walking for Jess. Funding the research she deserved.
Every September, Jess's family and friends walk and run a 5K in Ringoes, NJ, then stay for a BBQ. Every dollar raised goes to melanoma research at Penn Medicine.
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Every September
The Walk
The Team JVT Walk to Remember Jess is a 5K walk or run followed by a BBQ at Jess's family home in Ringoes, New Jersey. Jess loved to run, so each year the people who love her walk and run in her name and raise money for the research that could spare other families.
- When
- Every September. Next walk: September 2027, date to come
- Where
- Ringoes, NJ (private home)
- Distance
- 5K, walk or run at your own pace
- After
- BBQ with family and friends
Penn Medicine
Where the money goes
Donations go straight to the Jessica V. Tyrol Memorial Fund at Penn Medicine, the team that cared for Jess, to support its melanoma research. Team JVT never handles the money. Penn processes every gift and sends your tax receipt.
The live total is on Penn's giving page. Share this link so friends can give:
givingpages.upenn.edu/TeamJVT
Donate now
From the walk
Photos
Every walk has its own shared photo album. Open any year to look back, or add the pictures sitting on your phone. Old photos from past walks are especially welcome.
How to add your photos
- Tap the year of the walk. The album opens in Google Photos.
- Tap the add photos button and pick your pictures. You'll need to be signed in to a Google account to add photos. Anyone can view without one.
- Please skip shots that show the house number or street.
In loving memory
Jessica Valentina Tyrol
January 11, 1988 to May 15, 2012
Jess grew up in Bucks County, PA and Hunterdon County, NJ. She loved to run, cheered hard for the Phillies and the Eagles, and adored every family dog, especially the puppy she named Neely.
After earning degrees in Marketing and Finance from the University of Delaware, she was building a career as a global equity analyst at Bloomberg. Friends remember her calm, grounded warmth and the way she made everyone feel cared for.
Melanoma was found in October 2011. Jess died seven months later, at 24. Her family keeps raising money for research so other families don't have to go through what they did.
- 2010Graduates from the University of Delaware
- 2011Diagnosed with melanoma while working at Bloomberg
- 2012Family and friends begin walking in her name with Miles for Melanoma and Moving for Melanoma
- TodayTeam JVT raises money directly for melanoma research at Penn Medicine, where Jess was treated
2012 to 2021
Shirts through the years
Every Team JVT shirt, from the first walk in 2012 to the 10th anniversary in 2021. Tap a shirt to see the back. There was no shirt in 2016, and none in 2020, when COVID made the walk virtual.
Merch
Team JVT Store
Walk shirts and Team JVT gear are printed on demand and shipped by Printful. Everything is priced at cost, so Team JVT makes nothing on merch.
Buying merch is not a donation. If you want your money to go to research, give on the Penn page.