Jim Valvano’s ESPY speech is shown on the ABC Supersign in Times Square in New York City to kick off ESPN’s “V Week” festivities in December.  The first “V Week” was held in 2007 and has become an annual week-long campaign across all ESPN properties to help raise awareness and funding for cancer research and The V Foundation.

Jim Valvano was a man of passion.  It was in his face, in his voice and in his every gesture.  Everyone who ever met him, played a game for him, saw him coach or heard him speak could feel his burning passion for life.

Jimmy V’s passion lives on now stronger than ever in the people of ESPN who give freely of their time, resources and creativity to support the mission of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. They do it in ways big and small, all year round through the ESPN V Committee, established by ESPN President George Bodenheimer, who expanded ESPN’s involvement in fundraising for The Foundation, and the growing number of Team ESPN members across the company.

Every spring ESPN employees are encouraged to “Show Your Spirit!” by wearing a jersey or hat from their favorite teams to work.  For those two days the Bristol campus and ESPN offices across the country are awash in team colors, college pride, and smiling folks who love their sports.  And they keep the spirit of Jimmy V alive by donating five dollars each to The V Foundation.

When the ESPYS take place – the event at which Jim announced The Foundation during his inspirational speech, ESPN employees and commentators become ambassadors for The V Foundation, reaching out to ESPN’s loyal and generous fans.  The annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic in Los Angeles is the product of countless volunteer hours donated by ESPN people.  It raises more than $1 million in net proceeds for cancer research.

The people of ESPN Radio have made the ESPYS V Foundation Auction on air a huge success, creatively packaging fan experiences for sale to the highest bidders.  Everyone from “Mike and Mike” to staff members at the ESPN Radio owned and operated stations worked together to raise a record $1.1 million in 2008.  

Then there’s “Jimmy V Week” which brings together employees across ESPN’s many distribution platforms.  Special content that shares Jim Valvano’s passion with millions of fans was coordinated on SportsCenter, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile, as well as ESPNEWS, ESPNU and ESPN Classic.  The week culminated with the Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic and Men’s Basketball Classic on consecutive nights, each live on ESPN networks.  The increased awareness of The V Foundation’s mission raised $700,000 each of the last two years.

 “Our many initiatives are a shining example of sports and teamwork whose results go beyond any game,” says Bodenheimer.  “Our employees continue to bring the same creative thinking and commitment to The V Foundation that they’ve applied to shaping our company these 30 years.  I’m extremely proud of their efforts on behalf of this great cause.”

The projects continue to grow with the recent addition of “February Frenzy” coverage of women’s basketball, which integrates messages remembering Jim’s North Carolina State colleague and legendary coach Kay Yow, who served on The V Foundation Board and inspired us all in her fight against cancer.  In memory of her, funds are raised for women’s cancer research.

Bob Lloyd, chairman of The V Foundation Board, and CEO Nick Valvano often remark that beyond the fundraising results of millions of dollars a year, ESPN’s media exposure has taken The Foundation from a regional non-profit to a nationally known and valued charity. 

It’s hard for anyone who remembers Jim Valvano’s face to imagine it without his great, engaging grin.  That’s how Dick Vitale sees him still:  “It would bring a smile to Jimmy V’s face to see how so many people from ESPN’s corporate headquarters to the offices around the country have gotten involved.  They’re behind The V Foundation 100 percent.  I will always see Jimmy’s legacy not in him cutting down the nets after N.C. State won the national championship, but in the millions of lives he has touched through The V Foundation.”