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.

Tucker Dupree

The 2010 Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Vancouver right now as you probably already know.  It seems a good time for me to focus on an athlete who needs our support for this week’s blog entry.  Unlike most of the other charities and volunteer organizations I cover, this one is all about one person: Tucker Dupree.

Tucker Dupree is a star swimmer with the medals to prove it.  He is a 20 year-old guy with public speaking skills and a drive to succeed.  He is also legally blind.  According to his website, he “lost his vision at age 17 when he was diagnosed with a rare disease called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON).”  At an age where many kids might give up and feel sorry for themselves over a loss like that, Tucker did not.  That is what makes his story so amazing.  He focuses on his ability rather than his disability.  As of this writing, ”Tucker, a gold medalist and world record holder, is one of the top blind swimmers in America holding a World Record in the 100m Butterfly, 25 American Records and 6 Pan-American Records.” 

A typical day for Tucker is very much the same as a day for any other world class athlete.  He wakes up, trains, has lunch, and trains some more.  You can get a glimpse into his world on the “About” page on his site.  On the same page you will also see a long list of awards, recognitions, and medals including the one for that world record.

While training and competition takes up much of his time, Tucker is also available for public speaking engagements around the Triangle.  You can view a list of his upcoming appearances on his “Calendar” page.   I am told that he is a very engaging and inspiring public speaker.  He also shares his thoughts and stories in his blog.

Training and competition cost money.  That’s where the “charity” part of this story comes in.  Tucker has one corporate sponsor listed in his page, Ambutech, and is in need of more funding.  You can donate through his website or help out by buying his T-shirt and wrist bands in the site’s store. 

Tucker’s ability to face an obstacle such as vision loss and still be able to focus on his goal of being a star swimmer is truly amazing. (Pardon the pun.)  In a season when we are focused on Olympic Athletes in Canada, we should remember and support our own outstanding achiever here at home.

NSPIR

It’s always interesting to me how fashion is cyclical, and not just clothing fashion or car fashion, but entertainment fashion.  In the late 80’s to mid-90’s, shows about the paranormal were popular.  Sightings and Unsolved Mysteries are a few examples.  Eventually these shows fell out of favor with the viewing audiences.  Now the paranormal is back in style.  With “reality” shows like Ghost Hunters, Psychic Kids, and Paranormal State as well as entertainment series such as Medium and Ghost Whisper an interest in the paranormal these days is… well… normal.  FINALLY!  I’m in style for a change.

Since this blog is dedicated to Triangle area charities and volunteer organizations, it seems only fair to cover a volunteer organization of which I happen to be a member: NSPIR.  NSPIR stands for the National Society for Paranormal Investigation and Research.  In viewing our website, you will see that we are not ghost hunters out looking for a quick thrill. 

We DO NOT use Ouija boards, conduct seances, cast spells, or use other "mystical" means to conjure, summon or manifest spirits.  Our approach to every investigation is done in accordance with scientific principles, and in a respectful and professional manner.  All information collected is analyzed carefully, peer reviewed and is available for public review, with respect to our client's confidentiality.  Our staff is committed to providing the best possible service for our clients and hold the highest regard for their privacy, peace of mind and property, as required by our CODE OF PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL CONDUCT.

NSPIR is a 501 (c) (3) all volunteer, non-profit organization.  We do not charge for our investigations.  In fact, the philosophy is that charging home or business owners for an investigation into paranormal claims is a highly questionable practice. In order to defray the cost of our specialized equipment, we accept tax deductible donations. 

Speaking for myself, I have to say that I am proud to be a member of NSPIR.  We take our investigations seriously.  We conduct our investigations in a professional manner, and our members include scientists, educators and individuals with highly technical knowledge.  We are lucky enough to be in the same “neighborhood” as the Rhine Research Center, which means that we have an educational resource available to us just down the road.  In addition, as part of NSPIR’S outreach, we have a monthly meet-up group, CHAPS (Carolina Hauntings, Apparitions, and Poltergeists Society) , whose meetings focus on educating the curious on how to properly conduct investigations and just what the topic of paranormal entails. If you are interested in joining NSPIR, you really should attend a few CHAPS meetings first. 

Once NSPIR has conducted an investigation and briefed the clients on our findings, many are posted on our website in the Investigation Gallery.  Of course, posting the findings is done with complete respect to the clients privacy.  You will not find family names and locations unless the client specifically gives permission.  In the gallery, you can look through photos and listen to audio from past investigations.  You may recognize a few nationally known sites such as the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington and the Mordecai Historic Park in Raleigh.  In fact, the city of Raleigh has granted NSPIR the 2-year contract do be the exclusive investigative group for Mordecai.  NSPIR has agreements with other towns to do investigations and ghost walks, which are quite popular.

So what is NSPIR looking for during an investigation?  We are after data, audio anomalies such as electronic voice phenomena, photo and video anomalies, and personal experiences.  The ultimate catch would be all of these things happening at once and corroborating the claims of the building’s owner.  The more useful data that we can add to the pool of knowledge in this field the better our theories about explanations for the paranormal will become.  So even when the current round of popular paranormal TV shows have been canceled and television viewers have become obsessed with other topics, NSPIR and groups like us will still be here – cool and fashionable, or not.

The Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities

I am always asking for suggestions for topics for the blog. I’ve had multiple friends suggest that I cover the Tammy Lynn Center. It is an amazing place. The focus of the center is to help children and adults with developmental disabilities. These disabilities range from mild learning problems to more extreme cases of cerebral palsy and beyond. As with so many other charities I’ve covered, it takes very compassionate people to work at the Center.

On Sunday, March 7th, the Tammy Lynn Center will be hosting it’s 25th Annual Toast to the Triangle, a fundraiser held every year in an effort to help fill the gap between public funding and the cost of caring for a very special part of our population. Click here, for information on this event.

What is the Tammy Lynn Center?

The Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities was founded in 1969 by the parents of children with special needs. Since its humble beginnings housed in Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary, the Center has moved to its location on Chappell Drive in Raleigh and grown to include day services, residential programs, respite care, and educational services.

According to its website, 

The Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities offers education, residential and family support services to children and adults with special needs. The Center's goal is to provide the individuals it serves the opportunity to maximize their abilities in a loving, nurturing environment.

The Tammy Lynn Center exists to help people with disabilities and their families from early childhood well into adulthood. Children as young as age three with learning disabilities are provided compassion and encouragement as teachers help to bring them up to the speed of typical children their age. Those with more complex conditions are taught as many of the basic skills necessary to daily life as they can handle on their own.

This wide range of services brings with it a wide range of needs and volunteers. The Center encourages individuals, corporate groups, civic groups, and even school groups to volunteer their time. For more information on how, click here. They do ask that before you volunteer as an individual, you consider how much time you can commit to the Center. By volunteering to help the children and adults on campus, you are volunteering to create a relationship with them. Being able to donate your time on a consistent basis is an important consideration.

If you can’t volunteer, there is always the possibility of being a donor. Again, the facility does get some reimbursement from government entities to fund its work, but not enough to fully cover day-to-day operations. They have a few fundraisers per year including the above-mentioned A Toast to the Triangle as well as their 2nd Annual Ride for the Tammy Lynn Center on Saturday, June 26th and the 7th Annual Tammy Lynn Golf Classic on Monday, October 4th. For more information on these events, please check the website’s “Events” page.