About VITFriends

VITFriends is a Massachusetts-based registered non-profit (501c3) patient advocacy organization dedicated to educating, empowering, and encouraging people living with vitiligo to embrace their skin and live their best lives. Founded with a vision to enhance quality of life, VITFriends emphasizes self-advocacy and community support as vital tools in the journey with vitiligo.

With a global following and 12 affiliated groups across the United States, including partnerships with organizations in Cuba, Ghana (VITSAF), and key international vitiligo foundations, VITFriends is truly a worldwide movement. It aims to foster connection and understanding through programs tailored to all ages, recognizing the unique challenges vitiligo presents across life stages.

VITFriends’ key focus areas include advocating for vitiligo-specific legislation, correcting insurance labeling to better reflect patient needs, securing funding for support group programs, and promoting research initiatives. The organization actively partners with scientific and medical institutions to amplify the voice of the vitiligo community on critical health issues.

A hallmark of VITFriends’ outreach is its diverse activities: a popular podcast that shares stories and information, women’s workshops, the Pen Pal Patch program for children aged 4–14, and the Purple Patch TEENS group for ages 15–20. The organization also made history by hosting the inaugural World Vitiligo Conference and Rally on the U.S. Capitol Steps in 2016, an event that brought vitiligo advocacy to national prominence.

Under the leadership of President/CEO Valarie Molyneaux, who serves on various community and NIH coalitions, VITFriends continues to be a beacon of hope and solidarity. Its ultimate goal is to inspire confidence, promote understanding, and unite the global vitiligo community in pursuing better care, acceptance, and research breakthroughs.