On Saturday, March 3rd, more than 250 supporters attended the 2nd Annual Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation Bash.  Villanova alumni and local community members attended the event, raising over $60,000 to be used towards increasing the number of potential donors on the Be The Match Registry ®.

The evening included an extensive silent auction with items ranging from autographed sports memorabilia to weekend getaway packages, musical entertainment by the Chatterband, and a buffet dinner.  Several former Villanova football players turned out to support the Foundation’s event, including former Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook and current Indianapolis Colt Ben Ijalana.

At the event, Coach Talley was presented with a surprise award from a member of Be The Match ® for his 20 years of tireless dedication to the cause of bone marrow donor registration.  Through the “Get in the Game, Save a Life” initiative football programs on 34 college campuses across the country have held potential donor drives. In just two years these efforts have resulted in adding 16,000 new individuals to the registry, and 60 bone marrow transplants since 2008.

We are very proud to announce that our founder, Andy Talley, was named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Humanitarian of the Year this week for his work with the National Marrow Donor Program and the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation.  He will be honored at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s 108th annual Sports Awards Dinner on Monday, January 30, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J.  Past Humanitarian of the Year honorees include Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino (2011), Adam Taliaferro (2009), Jon Runyan (2008), Eagles Youth Partnership (2007) and Alex’s Lemonade Stand (2006).  Comedian Joe Conklin will perform at the dinner, which is the oldest continuing sports awards banquet in the nation.

The public is welcome at the dinner.  Tickets are $95 each and are available online at http://www.pswa.org/, or by sending a check payable to PSWA, c/o Robbie Kenney, Ticket Chairman, 110 Harrogate Drive., Lumberton, NJ 08048.  Doors to the banquet open at 5 p.m. with the dinner and program starting promptly at 6:30 p.m.

“I am very honored and humbled to be named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Humanitarian of the Year because it brings greater awareness to the public of our foundation’s mission of registering potential bone marrow donors and ultimately saving lives,” said Talley.  “We have tested over 20,000 potential donors, but we can do so much more.  The only thing that stands in our way is money.  The cost of the test (which is nothing more than a cheek swab) is $100.  A large testing can get pretty expensive very quickly.  We are very fortunate to have the National Marrow Donor Program as our partner.  Without them, we could have never accomplished what we have done so far.”

To donate to the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, please click here: Donate

The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation was founded just one year ago with the generous support of our founding patrons and our first annual Bash fundraiser.  Held last February, the Bash was a tremendous success for the foundation and helped raise necessary funds that were directed to the National Bone Marrow Foundation and individual donors requiring financial assistance.  Once again the time has come for our Bash event.  This year’s event will take place at The Connelly Center at Villanova University.  We have set the date for Saturday March 3, 2012 at 7pm.  The Bash committee has been tirelessly at work securing sponsors, silent auction items, food, drinks, and musical entertainment.  We are proud to announce that we will have the Chatterband again this year and are looking forward to another fantastic evening.  So SAVE THE DATE, and make a plan to attend this year’s Bash.  It will be a great evening that will help raise funds for a tremendous cause.

Buy tickets here: Bash Tickets

If you cannot attend the Bash, welcome donations may be here: Donate

For any questions about the Bash, please call 610-401-7665 or contact us here: Contact

Villanova Head Football Coach Andy Talley started his non-profit foundation in 2010. However, Coach Talley’s involvement in bone marrow donor testing began nearly two decades earlier in the fall of 1992 after becoming aware of the devastating odds facing those in need of bone marrow transplants. Each year, 10,000 patients, diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma, are in need of a bone marrow transplant, yet only half receive one. The chances of finding a matched, available donor are as low as 66% for some patients; 70% of patients have no suitable donor in their family. With access to ninety young, healthy football players, Coach Talley began his mission to educate and promote awareness about the importance of bone marrow donor registration by holding his first on-campus testing in the Jake Nevin field house at Villanova University. Coach Talley and his team registered over 200 student athletes and coaching staff from the Villanova University community that fall.

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