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The 10th annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic, a Team ESPN event held Tuesday at the Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms in Industry Hills, Calif., combined with ESPN Radio’s sixth annual “Don’t Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction,” which concluded Friday, raised $1.63 million in net proceeds for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The total was announced by George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN and ABC Sports, and Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks. The two events have raised more than $11.7 million over the years.
“Jim Valvano’s speech was where it all began,” Bodenheimer said. “The commitment of sponsors, celebrities and volunteers to raise money for cancer research is absolutely inspiring.”
Nick Valvano, V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano and brother of Jim Valvano, added, “I cannot put into words the gratitude we at The V Foundation have for the hard work and dedication the ESPN puts into the ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic. It’s the perfect culmination of enthusiastic, caring people coming together for a great cause.”
ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic
The ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic raised $1.134 million, increasing its total by 19% from last year’s event. Bodenheimer presented the check to Valvano on site.
Among the athletes and celebrities in attendance were Dave Annable, Miles Austin, Brandi Chastain, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Jeff Daniels, Tony Dovolani, Julius Erving, Jim Harbaugh, Lou Holtz, Antawn Jamison, Ron Jaworski, Ty Law, Joe Mantegna, Bode Miller, Rick Neuheisel, Jim Palmer, Wade Phillips, Mike Piazza, Bill Raftery, Anna Rawson, Buck Showalter, Michael Strahan, Ken Whisenhunt, Michael Wilbon, Kellen Winslow, Sr. and many more.
Don’t Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction
The sixth annual “Don’t Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction” featured hundreds of items and experiences for bid from Tuesday, June 29 to Friday, July 9. The majority of the more than 340 experiences and items in the auction were available online via www.espnradio.com orwww.ebay.com while 38 fan “experiences” were auctioned in an 18-hour radiothon across ESPN Radio’s six national shows on Friday, July 9.
ESPYs
Both events are part of Team ESPN’s corporate outreach initiatives which coincide with the ESPYs July 14, live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. The 18th annual industry-wide sports celebration gathers top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances.
The V Foundation
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $95 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received seven consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.
Team ESPN
Team ESPN encompasses ESPN’s multi-faceted corporate outreach programs including volunteerism, corporate giving and cause marketing, while utilizing its diverse media assets. Through Team ESPN, ESPN, its employees, and its fans work together to make a difference in our world and the communities in which we work. Team ESPN… Fans Helping Fans® www.teamespn.com.
