The mission of the Dan Jansen Foundation is to solicit financial support and distribute funds to charities, with an empasis on the fight against leukemia, which claimed the life of Dan's sister Jane. The foundation supports youth sports programs, educational and scholarship awards.

Dan Jansen knew at a young age there was more to life than skating around in circles. Maintaining a proper perspective is key. So, too, is setting goals and realizing one's dreams through perseverence, overcoming adversity and never giving up.

Thanks to Dan’s marathon efforts – literally – 2008 was a good year for the Dan Jansen Foundation. On March 19, 2008, Dan ran in the Sun Trust National Marathon in Washington, D.C in memory of his sister, Jane, who died from leukemia 20 years prior,.  It was his best marathon time ever (he’d run in two) and on a cool and breezy,  yet sunny day, he managed to leg out a time of 3:20.28 (7.39 mile pace), finishing 159th out of a field of some 1,500 runners. 

Dan prepared for the marathon with others who were also running in memory of Jane.
Fellow Olympian Nick Thometz ran an impressive 3:15.56; Dan’s brother Dick finished at 3:46.35; while the rest of “Team Jansen” (Olympian Andy Gabel and Mike Cieslinski) came in at just over four hours. 

Thanks to the generosity of family members, friends and other Dan Jansen supporters more that $12,000 was raised through pledges.  Those dollars were deposited into the Dan Jansen Foundation’s “Jane Jansen Beres Family Aid Fund” to benefit patients and families affected by leukemia and related cancers.

Eighteen families received support through this special fund in memory of Jane.

Dan in the swing
Dan also participated in the variety of celebrity and charity golf events in 2008 which further increased funds into the Dan Jansen Foundation.  (In 2007 Dan teamed up with Stone Phillips to win the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament.)

DJF Scholarship
Three students received scholarships through the Dan Jansen Scholarship Fund.

Bone Marrow Registry Drive
New in 2008, the foundation supported a Bone Marrow Registry Drive at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee where 555 people were added to the registry, 92 units of blood collected and 276 lives saved.