ESPY Week Events to Continue Strong Charitable Legacy

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ESPY Week Events to Continue Strong Charitable Legacy

Photo of Rachel Margolis Siegal Rachel Margolis Siegal Follow on Twitter July 10, 2015

Efforts to Benefit The V Foundation and the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund

Events surrounding The 2015 ESPYS extend past the red carpet and beyond the trophy presentations to raise awareness and millions of dollars for The V Foundation for Cancer Research including the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund. The second annual ESPY Day – a day-long fundraising drive across multiple ESPN platforms on Wednesday, July 15 – is just one of many happenings the week of The 2015 ESPYS Presented by Capital One.

By introducing ESPY Day last year, ESPN expanded its more than 20-year effort to help find a cure for cancer, and ESPY-related fundraising efforts over the last 12 years alone have raised more than $23 million for cancer research. This year, The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has announced a multi-year $1.25 million grant to The V Foundation in support of women’s cancer research initiatives. This grant continues the legacy of legendary NC State coach, Yow, and her commitment to fund research for women’s cancers.

“The ESPYS and the events that surround it have become a pivotal force in the cancer fight,” said Kevin Martinez, ESPN Vice President, Corporate Citizenship. “From the very first year when Jim Valvano’s words helped establish The V Foundation to last year’s historic Stuart Scott speech, the amazing on-stage moments and ESPY initiatives have come to define how sports can be a great vehicle for positive change.”

Throughout 2015 ESPY Day, viewers and listeners are encouraged to donate to The V Foundation by calling 800-4-JimmyV or visiting www.jimmyv.org. In addition, fundraising efforts include the 11th annual ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction and the 15th annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Outing, held on Tuesday, July 14.

Also on Tuesday, the inaugural Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, presented by ESPN and PlayStation®, will celebrate and honor athletes, teams, nonprofits and members of the sports industry for using sport to serve society. The event – from the Conga Room at L.A. Live – will benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation, a fund that encourages cutting-edge research for minority populations suffering from cancer; a year after Scott’s moving acceptance speech for the Jimmy Perseverance Award at the 2014 ESPYs. Additionally, ESPN will donate $400,000 in grants to the various causes that the nominees and winners represent.

The ESPY Day Sweepstakes is a chance to win one of five ultimate football experiences with a minimum entry of $20, or at various donor award levels, including a “Fight Like Hell” Stuart Scott t-shirt with a $100 submission. The sweepstakes is currently live at omaze.com/espys and will run through The ESPYS, ending at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19. Winners will be randomly selected and announced the following week.

The inaugural ESPY Day in 2014 raised more than $2.5 million with an additional $4 million grant from Stand Up to Cancer. The ESPY Day initiative expanded ESPN’s 22-year effort to help find a cure for cancer, and to date, ESPY-related fundraising efforts over the last 12 years has raised more than $23 million for cancer research.

The 2015 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will air on ABC on Wednesday, July 15, at 8 p.m. from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The celebration kicks off with SportsCenter at The ESPYS and The ESPYS Countdown Show Presented by Capital One airing from 6-7 p.m. ET and 7-8 p.m., respectively, on ESPN prior to the start of the awards. In addition to the presentation of The ESPY Trophy for the top sports moments and athletes, several awards will be handed out: Caitlyn Jenner to be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award; Danielle Green to receive Pat Tillman Award for Service and Devon and Leah Still to be awarded the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplifts the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs focus on the power of sport to positively address pressing needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.

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Photo of Rachel Margolis Siegal Rachel Margolis Siegal Follow on Twitter July 10, 2015
Photo of Rachel Margolis Siegal

Rachel Margolis Siegal

A part of the Internal Communications team at ESPN, I began with the network in 2010 as part of the College Sports PR team. Always an avid sports fan and not an athlete – I grew up a huge fan of the Hartford Whalers, while also watching my brother compete at different levels. I became the manager of several high school sports teams and continued that hobby into college. While at Quinnipiac, I worked in the Sports Information Department, which led me to a summer internship at the New Haven Ravens, a AA baseball team, and an eventual job with the Athletic Communications Department at the University of Connecticut. After my five-year stint at Connecticut, I spent six years as Director of Communications at the BIG EAST Conference in Providence, R.I. before joining ESPN.
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