This summer he is taking another trip towards the mid-west to see five more stadiums starting at Wrigley Field in Chicago. That will put his grand total at 12 different Major League Baseball stadiums. Just 18 more to go.

We all have those sports things we would like to do. Everyone’s list is different based on what teams you are a fan of, what sports you love or what means something to you. No matter what your sports bucket list item is, your item could end up on this year’s ESPN auction that you can bid on July 13. 

How can your item end up on the auction? Tweet at it #VBucketList on Twitter or submit an idea here. 

What about all three? How about riding your bike about 618 miles? Sound a little crazy, maybe?

Let me tell you about a few people that are doing just that and they are doing it for The V Foundation.

John DC Miles is participated in the St. George Ironman on May 5, 2012 in honor of The V Foundation. He has been writing about his journey here and how The V Foundation has been his inspiration for training. In one of his posts he stated,” I am competing on May 5th with another hope: that I can show my appreciation for what The V Foundation does for me and reciprocate, by advocating for the organization’s own hopes and mission.”

Then there are the four young men of Delta Chi at Marshall University. Seth Rabatin, Scott Hamlin, Anthony Severino and Cameron Mallory are embarking on a journey of 618 miles to the headquarters of Delta Chi in Iowa. That’s right, these four you men are going to ride their bikes for more than ten days from West Virginia to Iowa to raise awareness and money for The V Foundation. Interested in finding more about their journey? Check it out in a recent article here.

These people are taking raising awareness to whole new level. Want to find out how you can do something similar in your community this summer? Check out the event planner’s guide today and get started on your summer adventure. 

May is National Cancer Research month and this year The V Foundation wants to show the world why cancer research will take us to that one day we have all been waiting for.

Over the next few weeks we are going to pose questions on Twitter and Facebook about why cancer research is important to you, why The V Foundation, how have you been touched by cancer, and more. We are going to compile the most unique, inspiring and heartfelt messages into videos for our upcoming YouTube Series- “Why The V?”

You can submit your messages as tweets, as Facebook comments, as YouTube videos or even as letters to media@jimmyv.org. Every Monday we will pose a new question (even Memorial Day!) and we want your response. You can submit them all week to us in any way you like!

Help us show the world why cancer research is important.

Help us show the world why The V Foundation will take us to the one day we are all still hoping for. 

We order our office supplies from Zuma Office Supply and they are a company that takes CSR seriously. The company’s business model is to donate 50% of its profits to 10 great charities as voted on by its 

customers. Until the company is profitable, it has committed to donating $500 to each charity each year, which the company expects to see in 2013.

Once that happens, The V Foundation will receive a percentage of sales from the customers that select The V Foundation as their charity of choice when the customer checks out. Currently, The V Foundation is in 5^th place.

So, check out Zuma Office Supply and consider placing your next order with them. Who knew that paper clips could help fund cancer research?   

Currently, ratings are based on two different dimensions: 1) financial health and 2) accountability and transparency. The organization is revamping the rating system to include a third dimension: results.

The ratings come out at the end of the summer and this past year, The V Foundation was given a 4-star rating. To receive a 4-star rating the organization’s score must be between 60 and 70. Here is how Charity Navigator calculates an organization’s overall score and star rating.

If you want to see a breakdown of our report, it’s right here. We are proud of receiving our 4-star rating and look forward to our evaluation this summer.

First, there is Dr. Robert C. Bast Jr., the Vice President for Translational Research at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer in Houston, Texas. Dr. Bast has served on the Scientific Advisory Board since The V Foundation’s inception. His long-term goal is to understand the molecular events that contribute to the development of ovarian cancer. 

Or, what about Dr. Joseph O. Moore, who is a professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Moore was Jim Valvano’s primary oncologist at Duke University Medical Center and was one the original member of The V Foundation Board of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Board.

There are 18 other members of the Scientific Advisory Board with diverse backgrounds and representing cancer centers all over the country. And that is exactly who I want advising The V Foundation on which grants to fund.  Trust me, you would much rather have these scientists deciding than someone like me. I am still trying to figure out El Niño and La Niña.

What normally happens at those moments? A high five. That’s right, a high five.

Do you know how it started or where? In sports, at a baseball game in the later part of the season of 1977, when Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker gave each other the first high five after Baker’s 300^th home run. There is a little bit of dispute about it starting in the 1960s with volleyball or with Magic Johnson at Michigan State but it’s baseball season- so we will give them credit.

Fast forward 35 years later and we are now high five machines. Sure, we have tweaked it a bit with the “fist bump” or “double five” or “air five” but you can’t get past that the high five was originated around sports or that it still exists today (it’s in the Oxford Dictionary- a noun in 1980 and adapted to a verb in 1981).

High fives are even celebrated in the United States; it’s on the third Thursday of April. Wait, you means the National High-5-A-Thon on April 19^th, is celebrating National High Five Day as well? Well if raising funds for cancer research wasn’t enough, now you have another reason to run around on April 19^th and give out high fives.

Don’t forget to throw in the “V Five” as well. 

I am a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill and I will be graduating May. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to learn so much about Jim Valvano and The V Foundation.  Let me tell you, this has been one of my favorite places to work.

Why you might ask? Because not many days go by at The V Foundation where you don’t get to laugh, think or cry

. That might sound weird but think about it. We often get a chance to hear stories about cancer survivors or people fighting their battle with cancer. Those stories, just like this one can bring you to tears. Cry everyday? Check.

One of the other great things about The V Foundation staff is that everyone is upbeat and happy about what they are working on. I mean we are trying to raise funds for cancer research to find the cure. Whether it is a discussion on what to call the conference rooms or moving photos around the building, trust me there are plenty of laughs. Laugh everyday? Check.

The final piece is what makes The V Foundation so incredible. Think. Yes, we think everyday. You are probably curious how we could get by without it. But we don’t just think, we are constantly thinking of how to we can do things not just better and bigger but strategically. How can we help this promotion? How can we build awareness? One of the best parts of the my job is the meetings I have gotten to sit in where we are brainstorming ways to strategically get the message out. Think everyday? Check.

I have only been at The V Foundation for three months but I know that everyday the organization is doing what

Jim Valvano would want: Laugh, Think and Cry. 

You are probably thinking, why are you jumping on the bandwagon? Why does The V Foundation need a Pinterest? Well, let’s look at the facts.

When we post a quote from Jim Valvano on Twitter or Facebook, we get TONS of likes, re-tweets and more. On Jim Valvano’s birthday alone we had more than 329 re-tweets and 788 likes. Why not create a Pinterest board with these quotes and help spread the word to the newest generation about what Jim Valvano stood for?

When we post a status or tweet about a sports event, our current fans and followers comment and reply a lot. During the NCAA tournament, our mentions on Twitter increase by more than 100% than on days with no college basketball games.

Yes, we have decided to join Pinterest but we aren’t jumping on the bandwagon, we are making a strategic choice to embrace our fans and followers. So, who wants to follow us?

This blog post is about something that these three men are doing off the field. These men have partnered with Kimberly-Clark to support the Great American Try On. The commercial explains it all.  

You can request a sample on the website and see for yourself.

All I have to say is, if it’s good enough for Wes, Clay and DeMarcus…it’s probably good enough for me.