The proceeds from the annual Rays of Hope Walk Toward a Cure for Breast Cancer, which celebrates its 18th anniversary this year, have long been used to support breast cancer research at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI) and breast services at the Baystate Regional Cancer Program. But this summer, the fundraising effort has made its largest step to date in finding a cure for this disease, putting forth a $1.5 million donation to establish the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research at the PVLSI.

The center, located across the street from Baystate’s Comprehensive Breast Center, is a collaboration between Baystate MedicalCenter and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
It will be co-directed by Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, medical director of the Comprehensive Breast
Center, and Dr. Joseph Jerry, science director of PVLSI, who has studied the links between hormonal factors and breast cancer. One of the center’s goals will be to coordinate medical investigative research being done across the region. “With this new long-term funding base, we can increase the pace, scope, and depth of our work,” says Makari-Judson.