Adam Torres and Max Duley discuss V Foundation for Cancer Research.
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Show Notes:
The V Foundation holds multiple events across the country every year raising money for game-changing cancer research. In this episode, Adam Torres and Max Duley, Vice President of Auction and Market Development at V Foundation for Cancer Research, explore the V Foundation and upcoming ESPYS Celebrity Golf Classic.
About V Foundation
The V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by ESPN and renowned basketball coach Jim Valvano, has a singular mission: to achieve Victory Over Cancer®.
Since its inception in 1993, the V Foundation has allocated over $353 million in grants for cancer research across the nation, solidifying its position as a leading advocate for cutting-edge cancer research. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation has an endowment covering administrative expenses, ensuring that 100% of direct contributions support the most promising cancer research conducted by exceptional scientists from diverse backgrounds, investigating various cancer types in all stages of the cancer journey – from the lab to the clinic.
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Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest in the show, just head on over to missionmatters. com and click on be our guest to apply. All right. So today’s guest is Max Dooley and he’s vice president of auction and market development over at the foundation for cancer research, Max, welcome to the show.
Thank you, Adam. It’s great to meet you and get to talk to you today. All right, Max. So we got a lot to talk about today. I know the SB Celebrity Golf Classic is coming up, which the V Foundation supports and is a part of, so we’re going to get into that. I want to get into the V Foundation overall and how people can get involved and really get into the mission of it.
And just to get started, we’ll start this episode the way we start them all with our Mission Matters Minute. So, Max, at Mission Matters, our goal is to amplify stories for entrepreneurs, organizations, and experts. That’s our mission. Max, what mission matters to you? Well, first of all, I love what you guys are doing with this podcast and with amplifying all these stories.
So, thank you very much for this opportunity. So, at the V Foundation for Cancer Research, we are a premier supporter of game changing cancer research. So, we’re always funding the best of the best scientists across the United States and Canada. at this point so far, we’ve awarded over 353 million in cancer research grants to over 1000 different researchers.
And that’s kind of our primary mission is just to to beat cancer. Hmm. How did you originally get involved with the V foundation? Like how did it originally come on your radar? So I’ve spent most of my life as a professional chef, so I had moved up to the Napa Valley to open the West Coast campus for the Culinary Institute of America where we trained professional chefs it’s kind of a continuing education program.
During that time, I did a lot of donations and things like that across the Napa Valley, and one of which that always came on my radar was the V Foundation and Because of its mission to defeat cancer, a couple of my mentors that were extremely important to me in my life died of cancer. So the last 14 years, I’ve dedicated my life to to their honor and to how they touched me and made my life a better life.
So it’s, it’s been a total blessing for my side to be able to do this. And to use my culinary background, my hospitality background to really, you know amplify and help build a national program to get as much possible funds to these brilliant scientists across the country to kick cancer’s butt.
Yeah, that’s what it’s about right there, kicking cancer’s butt. I mean how do you go about doing that? Like, whether it’s events, I know that the V Foundation holds multiple events and in different areas, like talk a little bit more about how you do that. Yeah, so on my side of things, we produce what’s called our signature events, and these are galas across the country.
We, when I started off 14 years ago we had one that we were producing ourselves in Napa Valley called the Wine Celebration. This is last August. We had our 25th anniversary for that one event, and this is a very high level luxury events with some of the best luxury brands in the world in one place in time, all for the purpose of raising money for cancer research.
Last year we did over 21 million in that one weekend. So we built these other programs around the country our new epicurean programs that are designed around hospitality and kind of wellness. So our Sonoma Epicurean takes place in Sonoma. It’s in its fourth year coming up this year.
We have our brand new Chicago Epicurean that’ll be its inaugural event this September. We have our Jimmy V Classic, which is our Booyah event and Stuart Scott’s name. We do that one in New York during the Jimmy V Classic week for ESPN. And it’s built around the double basketball game, men’s basketball game there at Madison Square Garden.
And then we have as of last year, my team has taken over doing most of ESPYs week. So we have our ESPYs celebrity golf. Tournament that takes place at Sherwick Country Club in July. With that program, we built a celebrity poker tournament that’s part of it. And then on the Tuesday of, ESPYs week, we’re doing a cross partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation, which is their 50th anniversary this year.
So we, we look for these unique and special partnerships and . Build these events so that we can amplify the moment in time to where we can all kind of achieve what we’re looking to achieve and we can amplify each other’s messages. So strategic partners are a big deal with what I do and finding unique high level hospitality events and building those type of products is kind of my specialty.
So. Yeah so before I ask this question, I know for sure, obviously the, like, one of the big draws for this is V Foundation, the research, like, cancer and kicking cancer’s butt. Like, this is a big draw and for, for not only the crowd, the supporters, other things, I understand that. And that, to me, that’s a given, like, that’s any, any successful organization They have that drawn that real mission.
That’s going to bring people together and unite them and want them to give their time, their money, whatever, whatever that be. That being said with that, in that context, like, what are some of the reasons that you feel that people are so drawn to your events? Cause I feel like even outside of the cause side, like they’re just really great events, aren’t they?
Like they’re fun. Like you’d want to participate anyway. Right. I mean, not to be little, but I just mean like, you know what I mean? Like they’re amazing events. Oh, no, I know exactly what you mean and it’s designed because cancer is such a depressing thing and all have you know, one degree of separation if less than that So you know cancer impacts, It’s like 42 out of 100 men and 40 out of 100 women will develop cancer within their lifetime.
So it’s very front of mind So we throw these celebrations in the spirit of it, you know, there’s a lot of storytelling around these things, too. So there’s a lot of storytelling interwoven through all these process of survivors of like amazing battles of these phenomenal scientists that are out there just Changing changing what’s going on, but we can throw one heck of a party.
So with my team’s background we are in One of the top two events in the country for wine based fundraisers. So we hold ourselves at the highest level. We want the top people we want anybody to be able to come. That’s never an issue, but we, we want people to come and, If they’re going to give a lot of money, we want them to feel like they’re part of a almost a family that has the same driven vision.
, we are in the top 2 percent in Charity Navigator, so 100 percent of the funds that are raised from auction and direct donations go straight to Cancer Research. Our all of our employees are on an endowment. The ticket prices for the events pay for the events themselves. Our sponsorships underwrite part of that too.
So we are in a very unique space to amplify and really expedite cancer research and , , my specialty is just to throw amazing things that people really want to be. So part of my job too is to build, so I joke about this, but, I build things that money can’t buy. So money can buy it for cancer research.
So I, I build our international auction lots and it’s like once in a lifetime bucket list trips and things like that. Yeah, and I’ve had two of them go for a million dollars. And so it’s things that, you know, People are being, you know, , they would give this money anyway, because a lot of our supporters are just so, they’re so driven by this mission which is amazing thing to have, but yeah, we, we can throw a pretty good party.
Yeah, I, I just wanted to bring that out. It’s a tricky question to ask, and whenever you’re talking about cancer, I mean, it gets tricky, because many people are affected, and you know, , it’s a serious issue. Serious, serious subject. But that being said I like how this approach and how the V foundations approach to addressing it is hopeful in my opinion.
There’s great energy surrounding it. , and I know stories are normally shared and I feel like that combination makes for a great experience as well. And also just to let people know they’re not alone, right? Like that, that human experience. Yes. let’s zero in a little bit on the upcoming event that’s happening and maybe give us a little bit of that.
So the SB celebrity golf classic talk to me about that. Yeah, so this one we, we took over two years ago. ESPN is, is our founding partner. So the V Foundation was founded 30 years ago with our namesake Jimmy Veno, when he received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in 1993 at the ESP SPS Award.
And Jimmy, going to our storytelling too, Jimmy, in his speech, which I highly recommend anybody go look up that speech. So a little over 11 minutes, he made it up from the top of his head. He was extremely sick, was only supposed to stand up and wave at the crowd, and he told Coach K and Dick Vitale just to get him, and Joe Theismann, just to get him on that stage.
And he made this speech that we’ve watched a thousand times, it still gives me chills. But his three things that we always live by is laugh, think, cry. He says it every day, you should laugh, think, cry. So we interweave those things in everything we do. So as we started building these pieces, golf is a big part of, luxury brands and also sponsorship pieces and then SPS week.
well, I have a golf background, so I used to open clubs for club corp as a chef and as an opening chef for things. So golf has always been kind of a piece of the puzzle for these things. So when we got the SPS golf classic. The comedian, norm McDonald had just passed away from cancer and we were able to get in touch with his business partner, Lori Jo Hora, and said, Hey, can we do this in celebration of Norm ’cause golf And playing poker were two of his biggest passions, so we were able to, so she loved it. His friends all love it. So we get a lot of Saturday Night Live people coming and play. We get. Athletes because of our relationship with the SPN. We have a lot of entertainment things. Plus being in the Napa Valley, a part of my job is taking out vintners to lunch and dinner.
So I’ve got every top vintner in the country that is part of our program. So we always have amazing wines. And then on the chef side of things, I’m on the board for the Culinary Institute of America. So we have a lot of celebrity chefs that are involved with things, and it’s always just amplifying each other.
and creating an atmosphere that everybody’s having a really good time as we’re raising these essential funds for cancer research. Yeah, I love it. I love it. , it’s a great cause, obviously, but then , how you’re pairing this with the experience as well is amazing. , how do people participate?
With let’s just start with this particular one. So for the celebrity golf classic, cause that’s coming up. So how do people participate? Yeah. So the celebrity golf classic this year, we are sold out, which is awesome, but we have it again next year. It’s always in July during this week. And if they want to get involved with anything for the V foundation, they can go to V.
The letter v dot org. And that takes you straight to the main page of the V Foundation. And max , mduley, m d u l e y, at v. org. So give us a little bit of idea , for what the programming looks like going. So now , we kind of cover what’s going on in the immediate.
It’s sold out. So yeah, so I get into next year’s because obviously you can see this as a hot ticket, right? Yeah. Give us a feel for the programming, like, for the rest of the year and what’s coming up, Link. Give us a little bit of insight on that. Yeah, so my next one after this is our big wine celebration event in August.
It’s in the Napa Valley. We pretty much take over Yonfill. Our main gala event is at Nickel Nickel Winery. Coach K is our host this year. Coach is incredible. I have 25 live lots that range anywhere from being at a movie premiere for a brand new movie coming out called The Good Half.
That’s an amazing story about cancer. And you could be the 13th person on a 52 series America’s Cup boat and over in Barcelona. You could do, I mean, we do Super Bowl, we do F1. We have events at the Grammys, we have, we have tons and tons of stuff like that. What was that line you said again earlier?
You said something, it was like you created this, that, give it to me again man, you said it so fast, I’m putting you on the spot too, but it’s so good. I, so I, I build things that money can’t buy, so money can buy it for cancer research. Yeah. That’s my primary job. Oh, man. I feel like you need to have a, a shirt with that.
Like, I’m feeling that. I’m feeling you walking in with that, like, what do I do? That’s what I do. That’s amazing. Go ahead. Continue. Peace. So , that’s our August event. That one’s a big one., those tickets are out right now. We, we send those out, invitation only at the beginning, but I believe on the website you can, might be able to get them.
I don’t think it’s full yet, but it fills out pretty quick. Again, V. org is the main website. And then September we I’m working on a new event with Buster Posey from the Giants. We’re doing a golf tournament for Buster and his kids cancer charity for the B Foundation. He’s an ambassador for us.
And then we have our new Chicago Epicurean September 19th through the 21st. That’s going to be based at Nobu Hotel. We start off with Grant at Alinea Restaurant. And it’s luxury all the way through, plus some amazing, People will be at that one in October. I have my F1 Austin program that that has auction deliverables.
People that have won auction lots to go. Plus we have multi day activations in market for that. November timeframe. I have F1 Vegas same type of thing, but in Las Vegas and then December, the week of the ninth, we have our Jimmy V Classic and our Booyah events in New York City. On the Jimmy V Classic, that’s usually for the men’s NCAA basketball teams playing that night.
And I take people on the court for an hour during the day to play basketball at Madison Square Garden as auction winning pieces. So , it’s always coming up with little fun, little stupid things that don’t seem like they mean a lot until you’re standing in the middle of Madison Square Garden, taking Basketball shots or yeah, it’s experiences.
It’s memories anchoring. Yeah. How are we going to remember our lives? Yeah. I love it. Yes. Every moment matters. Absolutely. Max, this has been really fun. Yeah. This has been fun having you on the show today. That being said, any, any other last minute words on how people can get involved? I know it’s V dot org, like any other last minute words on how people can contribute and get involved?
You know we are always open to any messages. We are always open to any ideas. We are always open to any connections. And if there’s anybody battling cancer right now, if you just need to talk to someone about it, please reach out for that too. this is our community. We care about this and think about this.
All the time. , and , get to work with some of the most amazing people on the planet., one of our top doctors says it’s not if we in cancer, it’s when. So we know it’s going to happen soon. And we’re fighting like heck to put myself out of a job, basically, which would be awesome.
That’d be an awesome day. I’ll move on to the next thing. Absolutely. Which is going to probably involve some epicurean, some good food and some good flavors. I already see it. I know it always will. Oh, That’s amazing. For everybody listening , I’ll put in the show notes where our team will put all the website, all the other contact information in there as well.
So you can go check out upcoming events, how you can get involved all that good stuff. And if you are a first time listener and you haven’t done it yet, Make sure you hit that subscribe button. As I mentioned before, this is a daily show, meaning each and every day. We’re bringing you new stories new content, new entrepreneurs, new executives, new foundations, you name it.
New, hopefully inspiration that’s going to help you along the way in your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow button because tomorrow, guess what’s going to happen? You’re going to get a notification because it’s a daily show. And Max, again, thank you so much for coming on the show, of course, but also for the work you’re doing.
I mean, the foundation much needed, much appreciated. Thank you so much. Adam. Thank you, man. Keep up the good fight. Thank you for this time.