The V Foundation for Cancer Research

I received a request to cover The V Foundation for Cancer Research from a friend a couple of weeks ago.  Actually, she requested that I cover “The Jimmy V Foundation” as it is also known.  By either name, The V Foundation is a wonderful charity with a great reputation. 

The V Foundation was founded by former coach Jim Valvano in partnership with ESPN in 1993.  The announcement of this partnership was made during Coach V’s emotional speech at the ESPY awards.  You can watch this speech in its entirety on the Foundation’s home page. It is an amazing and inspiring speech worth taking 11 minutes out of your day to watch.  You get a glimpse into the man who took a bad prognosis and turned it into a positive thing that could give hope to others.  For those of us who were much younger when Jimmy V passed away, it is a good reminder of the man behind some of the greatest years of North Carolina State’s basketball history. 

So what does The V Foundation for Cancer Research do?

Since 1993, The V Foundation has raised more than $90 million and awarded cancer research grants in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Researchers have developed their laboratories and taken their science from the labs to the clinics with the help of funds raised by The V Foundation. 

                                        ~ http://www.jimmyv.org/about-us.html

Through events and direct donations, the Foundation raises money that goes directly to researching the causes, treatment, and potential cures for cancer.  Its website proudly boasts that 100% of direct donations and net proceeds from events go to research.  The Foundation funds grants that go to some of the top researchers in the country through three different programs: The V Scholar Program, The V Foundation Grants in Translational Clinical Research, and The Designated Grant Program.  You can read about the process of awarding the grants and the description of each program on the Funding Process page. 

While The V Foundation for Cancer Research is local to the Triangle area, its reach is nationwide.  Not only are the grants given to researchers in some of the best institutions across the country, but the fund raising also takes place from the East Coast to the West Coast.  The list of fundraising events is a long one.  Locally, we have the Annual Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic that takes place in Cary in August.  The Classic is not only a huge event for raising money, but it is also an opportunity to volunteer your time and talents.  You can go to the Classic’s website for more information.  

Who supports The V Foundation?

The V Foundation has a long list of corporate sponsors that reads like a who’s who in Triangle and international companies.  In addition, the organization teams up with other charities that share the goal of raising money for the cause of eliminating cancer.  One of those charities is the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.  (For my readers who are not in the Triangle Area, Kay Yow was the much loved coach of the North Carolina State women’s basketball team who lost her battle with breast cancer last year.)

Coach V was known for a saying as he neared the end of his life.  “Don’t give up… DON’T EVER GIVE UP!”  That saying is not only inspirational and good advice, it is the attitude that created The V Foundation for Cancer Research.  With it, the charity continues the fight against cancer, and with that attitude, we will win the fight.