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Donate to the Rivkin Center

Every donation helps people live longer and healthier lives because cancers are prevented, caught early, or cured.

DONATE NOW

When you donate to ovarian cancer research, you provide hope for thousands of people and their families.

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Donate Stock

Deepen your impact and increase your tax savings by donating stock directly to Rivkin through Overflow.

 

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Donate by Mail

Send your contribution to:

Rivkin Center
1200 12th Ave S, Suite 1110
Seattle, WA 98144

 

 

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Donate by Phone

Contact Halie Steward at (206) 584-2010 to make a donation by phone using your credit card. Or to request our ACH/EFT account details.

 

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Donate by Employer

Make your donation work harder. Find out if your employer has a matching gift program.

EMPLOYER MATCH

Planned Giving

MAKE AN ESTATE OR PLANNED GIFT

Donors who make an estate or planned gift, such as including a bequest to the Rivkin Center in their will, are invited to become members of the Saul Rivkin Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle was established in recognition of our founder, Dr. Saul Rivkin, and his relentless quest to end the pain and suffering caused by ovarian cancer. 

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
  • Special recognition in the Rivkin Center’s Annual Report to Donors
  • Invitations to events, receptions, behind-the-scenes tours, recognition events, and educational forums hosted by the Rivkin Center

For more information about the Saul Rivkin Legacy Circle or making a planned gift to the Rivkin Center, please contact Pauline Middlehurst at (206) 584-2271 or pauline.middlehurst@rivkin.org.

​Fundraising Events

HOST YOUR OWN CANCER-FIGHTING FUNDRAISER

Host or organize your own fundraising event to increase awareness about ovarian cancer and raise money to support the Rivkin Center mission. Contact pauline.middlehurst@rivkin.org for fundraising event ideas!

SPONSOR A CHARITABLE EVENT

The annual SummeRun & Walk for Ovarian Cancer and the Rivkin Center Family & Friends Auction are incredibly important fundraising events — and a great way to help out. Corporate sponsorship provides vital revenue to make these events a success and shows the community your company’s commitment to ending ovarian cancer.

Sponsor the SummeRun & Walk for Ovarian Cancer, the Rivkin Center Family & Friends Auction, or the biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium. Contact pauline.middlehurst@rivkin.org for more information.

ATTEND OR VOLUNTEER AT AN EVENT

Each of our signature fundraising events are an annual tradition in the Seattle area. The success of these events depends strongly on the attendance and participation of the community, as well as on volunteer support. To volunteer, email info@rivkin.org to learn more.

“The Rivkin Center plays an important role in fueling ovarian cancer research and has invested over 13 million dollars in support of original research and young investigators.”

Dr. Mary L. (Nora) Disis, Scientific and Medical Director

Name a Research Grant

SPONSOR A RESEARCH GRANT IN A LOVED ONE’S HONOR

Medical breakthroughs through research offer the greatest opportunity to advance the knowledge of ovarian cancer. The Rivkin Center model — investing in innovative ideas, attracting the most ingenious research minds, and leveraging funding to help investigators secure larger grants — has effectively advanced prevention, early detection, and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Sponsoring this work in the name of someone you love is not only a vivid tribute; it’s also an enormous gesture of hope for the future. Awards named for patients provide a particularly poignant reminder to researchers of the importance of their work, bringing home the vital impact of their efforts to further ovarian cancer research. 

We invite donors to review a list of scientists who’ve been selected to receive Rivkin Center funding through our formal grant-making process, choose someone to sponsor for the term of the grant award, and name the award in honor or memory of a loved one.

Grant sponsors receive copies and lay summaries of their grantee’s final report and recent publications relevant to this research.

We award several different kinds of research grants:

I promised my mom that none of her girls would ever have to go through what she did. While we hated the ovarian cancer diagnosis, mom viewed it as a gift to me and her granddaughters.”

Katerie Schei, Family Member & Donor

Other Ways to Give

SUPPORT THOSE WHO SUPPORT US

Many local businesses, such as glassybaby and Skacel Collection, donate a portion of their sales to the Rivkin Center; the more you support them, the more you contribute to ovarian cancer research. Take a look at the complete list of our corporate partners to make sure you support them, and share the link with friends and family.

MAKE AN IN-KIND DONATION

Both the Rivkin Family & Friends Auction and the SummeRun & Walk for Ovarian Cancer depend on the generous donations of the local community. If you or your business can contribute a unique item or experience to the auction, or can donate snacks, beverages, or equipment for the SummeRun, please contact events@rivkin.org.

See the impact that donors like you have made on ovarian cancer research and ovarian and breast health education.

See Your Impact

When you donate to the Rivkin Center, you give hope to people and their families.

Donate Now

Talk to your Family

Talking to your family and identifying cancer in your family tree can be a good indicator of your health risks. Download our Family Tree Worksheet here.  Be sure to include yourself, children, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Family Tree Worksheet

Get Educated

Know your body and be proactive about your health. Learn about your breast and ovarian health. Learn about the risk factors and signs & symptoms for breast and ovarian cancer.
Learn about these types of cancer

Trusted Healthcare Provider

Having a relationship with a health care provider you know and trust is one of the most important decisions you’ll make about your health care. Click here to find a provider
Find a Provider

Higher Risk in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population

In the general population, around 1 in 400 people carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. People of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry have a 1 in 40 chance of carrying a BRCA mutation, making them 10 times as likely to carry a BRCA mutation as someone in the general population. Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you have a BRCA mutation then there is a 50% chance of passing the mutation on to your children, whether they are boys or girls. It’s important to note that these mutations significantly increase risk, but are not a guarantee a person will get cancer.

Why is the Ashkenazi Jewish population at higher risk?

Over 90% of the BRCA mutations found in the Jewish community are one of three “founder mutations”. A founder mutation is a specific gene mutation in a population that was founded by a small group of ancestors that were geographically or culturally isolated. Because the population was isolated, the rate of founder mutations in descendants is much higher than it would be if the population were larger and co-mingling with more genetically diverse populations. A large expansion in the population caused the current high frequency of the mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. If you are of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, the chance of carrying a BRCA gene mutation compared to the general population is increased tenfold. BRCA mutations can be passed down from either your mother’s or father’s side, and may be associated with any of the following cancers:
  • Breast cancer
  • Ovarian cancer, fallopian tube, peritoneal cancer
  • Male breast cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Colon Cancer

Ready to take action? Knowledge is power. Take this short quiz to be proactive about your health.

Genes 101

Our bodies are made of many tiny building blocks called cells. Our cells contain a copy of our genome – all of the DNA genetic code we inherited from our parents. Our genome is organized into 46 chromosomes, 23 inherited from mom and 23 from dad. Each chromosome has hundreds or thousands of genes. Each gene has the instructions to make a protein that may control the structure or function of cells, can determine many things including how tall we are or the color of our eyes. Genes also contain instructions for many things inside of us that we cannot see, such as how our bones are formed or how our heart works. Each gene is made up of molecules called nucleic acids (A, T, C, and G). The specific sequence of the nucleic acids holds the instructions that control all the components and their functions in cells.

If the DNA sequence is changed, like a spelling mistake, the instructions may not make sense. The technical term for this change is “mutation,” meaning there is a change to the usual genetic code that may change the instructions stored in the gene. A mutation in a gene that repairs DNA damage or controls cell growth can increase the risk of developing cancer.

Sporadic vs Hereditary Cancers:

Ovarian and breast cancer can be either sporadic or hereditary. Sporadic cancers make up the vast majority (85-90%) of ovarian and breast cancers and are not associated with family history of either cancer or inherited cancer-associated mutations. Sporadic cancers arise from genetic mutations acquired in some cells of the body by events part of normal metabolism and environmental factors. This type of cancer can happen to anyone. Most acquired gene mutations are not shared among relatives or passed on to children.

Hereditary (also known as inherited, or familial) cancers are those that occur due to genetic mutations that are inherited from mom or dad. Other blood relatives may also share these same gene mutations. Parents give one copy of each gene to their children. If a parent has a genetic mutation in a gene, each of their children have a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. Therefore, even in families with hereditary cancer, not all family members inherit the mutation that is causing cancer, and their risk of cancer is similar to the average person in the general population. Individuals who are suspected to have a family history with high incidence of ovarian, breast, and other cancers may be offered genetic testing to try to find the specific genetic mutation that may put them at risk. Importantly, individuals who do not have a known genetic mutation but have high incidence of ovarian, breast, or other cancers in their families are still considered at higher risk for developing those cancers.

Hereditary cancers often occur at an earlier age than the sporadic form of the same cancer, so experts often recommend starting cancer screening at a younger age for individuals at high risk for hereditary cancer. Hereditary cancers can also be more aggressive than the sporadic form of the same cancer. Individuals who have inherited a gene mutation may be at a higher risk for more than one type of cancer.

BRCA 1 and BRCA 2: Most Common hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

The genes that are most commonly involved in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) are BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes are named for their link to breast (BR) cancer (CA), but they are also linked to ovarian cancer risk as well as other cancers. Both women and men can inherit mutations in these HBOC genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes that have a usual role in our body of providing instructions on repairing DNA damage and preventing cancer. When a family has an inherited mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, this leads to an increase in cancer risk. Not every man or woman who has inherited a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene will develop cancer, but people who have a mutation do have a significanlty increased chance of developing cancer, particularly cancer of the breasts or ovaries.

While breast and ovarian cancers are the most common cancers diagnosed in people with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, the risk of some other cancers is also increased. Men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have a higher risk of early-onset prostate cancer than men without mutations in either gene. Other cancers seen at increased rates, particularly in individuals with BRCA2 mutations, include pancreatic cancer and melanoma. Researchers are continuing to find new genes that are involved in hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer so it is important to follow up with a genetic counselor on a regular basis if hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is likely in your family.

Talk to your family about your health history and take the Assess Your Risk quiz here

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