Derek Dolenc Memorial Foundation, Inc.

The Derek Dolenc Memorial Foundation was established in 1992 in memory of Derek Dolenc who passed away at the age of 31 due to cancer.

The foundation was legally formed in 2011 as a non-profit corporation named the Derek Dolenc Memorial Foundation, Inc., and is a public charity exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Derek Dolenc was only 27 when doctors in Houston removed a cancerous mole from his shoulder in 1987. Three years later, doctors discovered and removed a malignant tumor from under his arm, but by then, the damage was done.

While Derek pursued experimental treatments in Los Angeles and Maryland, the cancer continued its inevitable march - from his liver, to his lungs and eventually to his brain.

At the tender age of 31, Derek left behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter. But he also left a vision to meet the needs of others.