Lakewood Ranch’s Dick Vitale received the inaugural Heart of Gold Award presented by the Pediatric Cancer Foundation on Thursday in Tampa.
Then he got a surprise.
Following the presentation, Vitale was informed that moving forward the award will be known as the Dick Vitale Heart of Gold Award.
College basketball and ESPN’s greatest ambassador was humbled by the gesture.
“Until I take my last breath, raising money and awareness for pediatric cancer research is my life,” Vitale said.
Vitale was selected because of his passion, commitment to research and efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer.
“The Heart of Gold Award is awarded to an individual or group of individuals that are compassionate about finding a cute and devoted to funding pediatric cancer research,” said Nancy Crane, executive director of PCF.
This past year, Vitale and his annual Dick Vitale Gala raised more than $2.1 million for the V Foundation.