'Blow the Whistle on Cancer' Receives NASO Gold Whistle Award

RACINE, Wis. — For the continued involvement of officials at all levels and the tremendous impact of the program, the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) announced The V Foundation’s Blow the Whistle on Cancer campaign as the 2006 NASO Gold Whistle Award winner. The award was presented at the NASO national officiating Summit in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 1.

“We are thrilled that NASO has chosen the Blow the Whistle on Cancer program as the recipient of the 2006 Gold Whistle Award,” said V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano. “Each year the campaign has grown thanks to the efforts of individual officials, referee organizations and unions, and family and friends of officials, all who embrace our cause and recognize the fact that the only way to cure cancer is through research. The Gold Whistle Award is a tribute to every individual participant who has not only donated to the program, but loaned visibility and credibility to Blow the Whistle on Cancer the past four years.”

Blow the Whistle on Cancer is an ongoing initiative to raise funding and support for cancer research. Since the program’s start back in 2002, the Blow the Whistle program has raised more than $250,000 for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The V Foundation was started in 1993 by ESPN and former basketball coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano, who died of bone cancer. The Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and money for research to locate the causes and develop cures for the more than 100 diseases that are cancer.

The NFL Referees Association has been involved from day one with the program. Since 2002, NFL officials have set aside a weekend where all 120 game officials donate a portion of their salary to Blow the Whistle on Cancer.

“Cancer will strike one of every two men and one of every three women in the U.S. in our lifetime,” said NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira. “This cause is personal to so many in the NFL family because many of us, including me, have been touched by this disease. Participating with the V Foundation and bringing visibility to its noble cause is the least we can do to help find a cure for cancer.”

The National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) joined the NFL officials in supporting the effort in 2004. The NBA has matched the NBRA’s annual grants. The Major League Baseball umpires’ union, the World Umpires Association, through “Umps Care” is the latest professional group to step up for the fight against cancer through Blow the Whistle on Cancer, joining the efforts earlier this year.

The NASO Gold Whistle Award is presented annually for dedication and community work that goes beyond officiating on the playing fields and courts. This is the first year in the award’s history that it was given to an organization or program rather than an individual official. However, with the selection of the Blow the Whistle on Cancer program, NASO is recognizing the selfless efforts of numerous officials at all levels and a variety of sports.

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