Jim Valvano was a successful basketball coach and an award winning television commentator who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1992. In January of 1993, ESPN offered their support in establishing a foundation that would fund cancer research. Upon receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural ESPY Awards show in March of that year, Jim announced that ESPN was creating the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. The organization – inspired by Jim Valvano’s determination on the North Carolina State bas-ketball sidelines, as well as his tremendous courage battling cancer – would operate under his motto:

“Don’t give up… Don’t ever give up!”
Although Jim Valvano lost his fight against cancer on April 28, 1993, he had already set his dream of finding a cure for cancer in motion. Today, with the help of a nationwide network of volunteers, event planners, individual donors, and corporate sponsors, the V Foundation is active in all aspects of fundraising. National and local events, annual and major gift solicitations, planned giving and cause-related marketing efforts all contribute to The Foundation’s mission of funding cancer research. These efforts have raised more than $27 million, with 85 cents of each revenue dollar designated for actual cancer research. This operating efficiency has allowed the V Foundation to award more than 170 grants to fund research facilities nationwide.

Members of the V Foundation’s all-volunteer Board of Directors and Scientific Review Committee also generously donate time, talent, and energy in support of the Foundation’s mission. These committed individuals from the world of business, medicine, sports, and entertainment share one common goal: to defeat cancer.

Jim Valvano knew that the Foundation could not save his life, but he hoped that “it could save my children’s lives, or someone that you love.” His dream of finding a cure is shared by millions, including each and every brother in the Fiji house, several having experienced firsthand the loss of a loved-one to this pernicious disease.

For more information about the Jimmy V Foundation, please visit their website: jimmyv.org