Bob Perks Fund Launching ‘$20K for 20 Years’ Campaign to Support Local Cancer Patients

The Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund is celebrating its 20th year in 2026, and to mark the occasion the State College-based nonprofit is launching a special fundraising campaign.

The “$20K for 20 Years” Online Giving Campaign will launch on June 1 and will run for 20 weeks. The campaign goal of $20,000 will provide funding for 20 cancer patients and their families

Donations in support of the “$20K for 20 Years” Online Giving Campaign can be made at givebutter.com/BPF20YEARS. Checks can be made payable to Bob Perks Fund and mailed to PO Box 313, State College, PA 16804.

Since its start in 2006, the organization has raised and given over $3.5 million dollars to more than 6,000 cancer patients and their families. In 2025, BPF raised and allocated a fund record of nearly $419,000 to 537 people living in its service area of Centre, Bedford, Blair, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Mifflin and Juniata counties.

“Each year, the BPF receives more and more applications. This year is no exception,” the organization wrote in a news release. “By the end of 2026, BPF is on track to have had requests for more than $500,000 from our area cancer patients.”

The Bob Perks Fund was founded to honor the memory of Bob Perks, a State College native who lost his own battle with melanoma in 2005. The organization’s mission is to ease the financial burden of local cancer patients so they can focus on their treatments and getting well.

BPF helps to pay everyday living expenses, such as rent, utilities, food, gas and more. Applicants who demonstrate that increased expenses and/or decreased income directly related to their cancer diagnosis can apply for up to $1,000 in assistance every 90 days.

For more about the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund, visit bobperksfund.org. Patients can also talk to their oncology team for more information.