N.C. State will now benefit from V Foundation

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N.C. State will now benefit from V Foundation

By Jason Jennings

Aug 7, 2008

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The V Foundation has raised more than $70 million and has donated $15 million for cancer research grants in its 15 years of existence.

Finally, the school where Jim Valvano coached will benefit.

Nick Valvano, the coach’s brother and the CEO of the V Foundation, found a way to give money to N.C. State after 18 months of meetings.

"Through a lot of hard work from people at N.C. State, they came up with an idea that would help us help them," he said Wednesday.

The foundation gave a $1 million grant to the university for a program that is unlike any other. The students will get hands-on experience learning different forms of cancer research. The goal is for them to eventually find a career in a cancer research field.

"The future cures of cancer are going to from the people who are now in high school and the people who are in college right now," said Valvano. "There is no better place to put our money."

Biomedical engineering professor John Cavanagh will lead the program.

"I've been at State now for eight years now, and this is by for the program that people have invested their emotion and their time in more than anything else," said Cavanagh.

Nick Valvano believes his late brother would have loved the idea. "When Jim was sick, he said, 'The same way I need someone to help me in my career, we need to help people who want to go into research and want to start their own lab.'

“But like anything else, they can't find money," Nick Valvano said. "Hopefully, we're building our future draft choices and our future recruits."

Jim Valvano was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer in June of 1992 and died on April 28, 1993. He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

The V Foundation is having events in Pinehurst and the Triangle this weekend and next to raise funds for cancer research.

Most Recent Comments

I am waiting for an apoligee wolfb

Yep, I changed it. For some reason, my name was my ACTUAL name instead of my screen name, so I updated the profile to go back to normal.

jrm576 please tell people your change from something like Mcfarland to what it is now so people don't think iam crazy

Hey guys,

Let's actua;;y read the article IN DETAIL before we start spouting off on the message boards.

"The V Foundation has raised more than $70 million and has donated $15 million for cancer research grants..."

The $15 million is only for cancer research grants. The other money goes directly to cancer research in other forms.

Why give money to the school, that caved in and fired Valvano? They should go ahead and give some to Peter Golenbock, and the N&O.

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