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 During No Shave November Logan County deputies,
detectives and the correctional officers at the Logan County Jail
grow beards in exchange for a donation to the V Foundation. This
year the donations made by the officers along with contributions
from Logan County Sheriff Mark Landers, the deputies’ union and
others totaled $1,370.
The donation this year was in honor of Greg “Flako” Feldman, who
passed away in July of 2018. Feldman’s wife Teena is a secretary at
the Logan County Sheriff’s Department. The first local
V-Foundation fundraiser was spearheaded by close family friend Todd
Lowman. Lowman began planning the fundraiser with the blessing
of the Feldman's before Greg passed away. However, Greg was
going downhill quickly at the end and he did not stay to see the
first fundraiser take place. Since that
time the fundraising efforts have been ongoing and after the first
year, Feldman said this community has contributed $57,000 to the V
Foundation in memory of her husband.
The V Foundation was founded in 1993 by Jim Valvano after being
diagnosed with cancer at age 46. Valvano was a renowned athlete. He
played basketball for Rutgers University in New Jersey. He coached
basketball for North Carolina State University from 1980 to 1990 and
was a sports broadcaster for ESPN and ABC sports.
Valvano died April 28, 1993 while a patient at Duke University in
North Carolina.
Though he suffered with cancer, his outlook on life was positive and
he worked tirelessly to impress upon others the joy of living life
to the fullest and embracing all that is good. After his death, his
good friend Duke University Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike W.
Krzyzewski recalled a conversation he had with Valvano in the
hospital at Duke. "Jimmy formed the V Foundation during the last
couple months of his life. We would laugh, joke and cry at the
hospital together. One night he said, 'I want to try to fund
researchers to attack cancer. I want you to be on my team.' He
recruited me during that time. His wisdom and his ability to think
beyond his life was incredible."
During his well-known speech at the ESPN awards just months before
he died Valvano spoke about his cancer, his life, and what he wanted
for others.
“I just got one last thing; I urge all of you,
all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To
spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your
emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day, and Ralph Waldo
Emerson said, “Nothing great could be accomplished without
enthusiasm,” to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever
you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to
come true, to become a reality.
“We need money for research. It may not save my life. It may save my
children’s lives. It may save someone you love. And it’s very
important. And ESPN has been so kind to support me in this endeavor
and allow me to announce tonight, that with ESPN’s support, which
means what? Their money and their dollars and they’re helping me—we
are starting the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. And its
motto is, “Don’t give up . . . don’t ever give up.”
Back in Lincoln, Greg Feldman was loved by many and when he was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer it was a hard pill to swallow.
After he passed away, his wife Teena wanted Greg’s life and death to
have a deeper meaning for the world, and supporting the V Foundation
was going to become a big part of that.
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Teena Feldman on Monday talked about the V
Foundation. She said that the foundation is doing incredible work
and devoting a lot of money to cancer research for cancers of all
types. She said that the foundation was set up so that 100 percent
of every donation goes directly to research. Administrative costs
for running the foundation are funded through a trust fund endowment
so all the donations made can be put where it counts most, in
fighting cancer.
It was noted by Deputy Trent Park that Greg Feldman
was a big Duke fan, and a fan of sports on the whole. Because he
shared that commonality with Jim Valvano, contributing to the V
Foundation in Feldman’s memory seemed more than fitting.
Some may have seen the Winter Wonderland tree set close to the
courthouse decorated in Blue and all things Duke. That tree was
purchased and decorated in memory of Greg Feldman. On Monday, the
deputies present for the announcement, along with Teena Feldman and
Sheriff Landers gathered around the tree for a photo marking this
year’s No Shave November donation to the V Foundation.
Along with the serious business of fundraising, there was a bit of
humor on the side. The other Tina in the sheriff’s office – Tina
O’Hare was designated as the judge of all beards. She took a good
gander at all the beards present around the tree and declared that
the best beard of the bunch belonged to Deputy Trent Park.
Sheriff Landers then awarded Park with a gift certificate as the
best beard in the department.
Park said that this year the group had wanted to do something really
special for Teena Feldman. He noted that Feldman will be retiring
from the department the end of this year, so they wanted this
donation to be a memorable event for her as she leaves her post as
department secretary.
Feldman was overjoyed by the donation and the outpouring of love
from her guys. She noted, “These are the best co-workers…these are
the best friends I could ask for. More than $57,000 has been raised
for the V Foundation in memory of Greg. Although Greg lost his
fight, we all know someone who has been afflicted with cancer and I
know that Greg would be proud to be helping others in their fight. I
cannot thank these guys enough for their continued support, their
generous hearts, and their friendship. I love them all.”
[Nila Smith]
The V Foundation for
Cancer Research is dedicated to declaring victory over cancer. It
was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary
North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator.
For more information visit www.jimmy v.org. |
