Jimmy V Week

One of my favorite events during college basketball season returns tomorrow in Jimmy V Week. The week long initiative to help raise cancer awareness runs December 3-9 and culminates with a doubleheader of great college basketball in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

It doesn't hurt that this year the event features two local teams as Butler takes on Georgetown and Indiana battles Pittsburgh.

We all have our preference for charities and raising awareness, but this is my personal favorite for various reasons. Jim Valvano-the man and coach. Visibility of the mission. The way funding is collected and distributed. Read more about the Jimmy V Foundation.

www.jimmyv.org

This morning ESPN featured a story on Jake Olson, a young boy who suffered from cancer of the eye since the age of one. His dream was to see the USC football team in person. Coach Pete Carroll invited him in and he essentially became an honorary captain of the team.

The story was very real and very moving. The kind of story to make you tear up before you know how it ends, because you can probably guess how it ends. The kind of story that makes you stop and think about your own life, what you've done, and where you are going.

These are hard times for a lot of people, especially going into the holiday season. But our situation could be worse. Too often, we take things for granted. Please take a moment and watch the story in the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyHEifZ4IEQ

Ryan

"Don't give up, Don't ever give up."

~Jim Valvano