About the Foundation
The Bridget Nesko Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc. was founded and funded by the family and friends of Bridget Nesko, who died on November 28, 2022, at 2:30 am from ovarian cancer. She was only 55 years of age.
Our Vision in forming the Foundation was to permanently honor and preserve the memory and legacy of Bridget through the creation of a charity to do good works in her name, and to work to spread awareness – and take proactive action to address – ovarian cancer and its devastation.
Our Foundation’s Mission is to achieve our Vision by providing scholarship awards to children (any age) of ovarian cancer victims; by providing professional mentoring and scholastic advice to students selected for scholarships, by strongly advocating for greater community, patient and medical community awareness about ovarian cancer, and by making early warning testing (CA-125 blood and gene testing) available to women who suspect the presence of ovarian cancer, but who cannot afford the testing or who are unable to locate a medical team willing to support their request for such testing.
The Bridget Nesko Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit charity formed in the State of New Jersey in December 2022 – less than three weeks after the death of the organization’s namesake. The Foundation received its nonprofit tax-exempt 501c3 status from the Internal Revenue Service in January 2023, allowing it to solicit tax deductible financial and in-kind gifts and contributions from donors wishing to support the organization in its mission.
A copy of our 501c3 recognition letter from the Internal Revenue Service can be found below.
The Foundation is managed and directed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees and supported in its mission by a volunteer Medical Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board – each driven to help the organization achieve its Mission.
All public donations made to the Foundation will be used exclusively for scholarships awarded to children of families impacted by ovarian cancer. No public donations to the organization will ever be used by volunteer Trustees, Advisory Board members or corporate officers for salaries or personal expenses.
Complete financial statements and information (IRS Form 990 with a narrative explanation of each component) will be publicly available on this website by about May of 2024, after our first full year of operation.
OTHER AWARDS
In addition to its commitment to provide scholarships to children of families impacted by ovarian cancer, private funds provided by Bridget’s family have been invested to provide special awards and scholarships to students at two of Bridget’s alma matter schools:
The Bridget Nesko Memorial Courage Award – Given Bridget’s overwhelming appreciation for the opportunities afforded her through her experience attending the George Mason University School of Nursing in Fairfax, Virginia, the Foundation will grant one “Bridget Nesko Memorial Courage Award” per semester (twice a year) to a single graduating nursing student throughout the next decade. Students are selected on the basis of their demonstrated courage in overcoming the types of challenges faced by Bridget as she struggled to earn her own nursing degree. The first grant under this award program was issued in May 2023. We look forward to funding this award for an additional century, through September 2132, utilizing private (not public) resources.
The Bridget Nesko Memorial Leadership Award – For students graduating from Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this scholarship will be awarded once a year on an ongoing basis, with the award being paid directly to a college, university or trade school for an education directed towards a career in the healthcare field. This award is made with the conditions that no scholarship will be funded for attendance at LaSalle University, and that GPA and financial need will never be a condition in the selection process. Instead, the student selected for the award will have a positive track record of school and community leadership. The first grant under this award program was issued in June 2023. Click link directly below for details.
Our Active Volunteer Board of Trustees
Non-Pictured ACTIVE VOLUNTEER BOARD MEMBERS
Frances Russ – Frank Nesko – Luigi Luppo.
We can’t do it alone. Join us. Support us. Fight with us. Act now.
The Foundation continues to build out its Board of Trustees and Medical Advisory Boards. The Medical Advisory Board is responsible for providing advice and guidance about our KOCA Program and CA-125 and Gene testing program. Medical Advisory Board members will not provide medical advice to applicants.
If you can help to add value to our team and are interested in being considered to serve on either our Board of Trustees or Medical Advisory Board, please contact us at (856) 595 2184 or by email, at Director@BridgetAngelFund.Org.
Financial and In-Kind Donations of Support – For information about how you can become a supporting member of the Foundation, volunteer to help achieve our mission, or about how to become a financial or in-kind donor to the Foundation – Click here.
Volunteer Support – We will gladly accept volunteer assistance today to help us plan, organize and carry out awareness campaigns and fundraising activities throughout the mid-Atlantic area. To volunteer, Click here.
Bridget Nesko Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
184 Deschler Blvd., Clayton, NJ 08312 | Tel: (856) 595 2184
Info@BridgetAngelFund.Org