Link to GSC Release Union's Make-A-Wish contributions among nation's best JACKSON, Tenn. – The Union University Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is listed among the leaders in NCAA Division II donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Union is ranked No. 17 in the nation with $6,388.00 raised. Make-A-Wish Foundation is the charity in partnership with all NCAA DII SAAC organizations on each campus.
Delta State (Miss.) and Union were the two Gulf South Conference schools listed in the top-20. Both have combined for $14,861.50, the Gulf South Conference as a whole, $27,015.21, toward the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Union SAAC president Reagan Schrader said, "It is a great recognition for the hard work from the SAAC officers, members and our student body. We are thrilled to be a small part of helping children receive their wish. We had several very successful fundraisers last year and we look to continue those again. We are grateful for everyone who contributed."
#UNION#(Information below was provided by the NCAA and the Make-A-Wish Foundation)For the first time ever, NCAA Division II raised over $600,000 in a single academic year for Make-A-Wish. The grand total for the 2014-15 academic year was $605,248.21 – setting a record again. This was just over $37,000 more than the previous record set in 2013-14 (and does not include the $55,000 that was donated to Team IMPACT). This brings the grand total raised since the beginning of the sponsorship 12 years ago (2003-04) to just over $4.1 million - $4,100,026 to be exact – resulting in over 530 wishes being granted to deserving kids throughout the country.
This year, Make-A-Wish allowed Division II to add the funds collected through major/secondary violation fines and championship fines to institutional fundraising totals in order for institutions to reach the amount necessary (average national cost of a wish is $8,500) to be able to host a Wish Reveal. As a result, in addition to the 8 institutions who raised above the average national cost of a wish, another 29 institutions and 1 conference office will get an opportunity to host a Wish Reveal at a campus/conference event. The full list is below.
Some additional numbers to ponder: Just over 76% of all Division II institutions, including those in membership process, participated in raising money for Make-A-Wish (242 institutions).
Similar to the last two years, 5 conferences had 100% participation by its members: East Coast Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Heartland Conference, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and South Atlantic Conference. Plus, an additional 7 conferences fell only 1 or 2 institutions short of having 100% participation.
There has been almost a 50% increase in Make-A-Wish fundraising by Division II institutions since 2010-11 ($405,752 to $605,248).
Top 20 Institutions: | 1. | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | 13,665.11 | | 2. | Molloy College | 13,154.25 | | 3. | Dixie State University | 12,670.00 | | 4. | Lubbock Christian University | 11,615.87 | | 5. | University of North Georgia | 11,102.00 | | 6. | Saint Leo University | 10,084.00 | | 7. | University of California, San Diego | 9,593.54 | | 8. | Missouri University of Science and Technology | 9,006.00 | | 9. | Delta State University | 8,473.50 | | 10. | Georgia College and State University | 8,122.22 | | 11. | Dominican University of California | 8,080.10 | | 12. | Arkansas Tech University | 8,019.17 | | 13. | Pittsburg State University | 7,556.56 | | 14. | Barry University | 7,055.00 | | 15. | Grand Valley State University | 7,000.00 | | 16. | Flagler College | 6,815.00 | | 17. | Union University | 6,388.00 | | 18. | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 6,318.57 | | 19. | Northwestern Oklahoma State University | 6,120.00 | | 20. | Lindenwood University | 6,002.00 |
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Conference Rankings: | 1. | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | $53,493.51 |
| 2. | Peach Belt Conference | $40,312.95 |
| 3. | Pacific West Conference | $32,911.57 |
| 4. | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | $30,117.10 |
| 5. | East Coast Conference | $28,131.59 |
| 6. | Gulf South Conference | $27,015.21 |
| 7. | Great Lakes Valley Conference | $26,480.60 |
| 8. | California Collegiate Athletic Association | $24,699.22 |
| 9. | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | $24,498.91 |
| 10. | South Atlantic Conference | $24,089.79 |
| 11. | Sunshine State Conference | $23,563.48 |
| 12. | Heartland Conference | $19,598.91 |
| 13. | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | $19,153.94 |
| 14. | Great American Conference | $18,801.43 |
| 15. | Northeast-10 Conference | $18,073.37 |
| 16. | Lone Star Conference | $17,243.21 |
| 17. | Conference Carolinas | $13,216.01 |
| 18. | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | $9,286.07 |
| 19. | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | $8,491.15 |
| 20. | Mountain East Conference | $8,475.38 |
| 21. | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | $8,340.69 |
| 22. | Great Midwest Athletic Conference | $7,294.20 |
| 23. | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | $3,774.32 |
| 24. | Independents | $183.74 |
| 25. | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | $0.00 |
37 Institutions and 1 Conference to Host Wish Reveals: | Albany State University (Georgia) |
| Arkansas Tech University |
| Barry University |
| Caldwell University |
| California State University, Stanislaus |
| Cedarville University |
| Colorado Mesa University |
| Delta State University |
| Dixie State University |
| Dominican University of California |
| East Coast Conference |
| Edinboro University of Pennsylvania |
| Flagler College |
| Georgia College and State University |
| Grand Valley State University |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
| Lindenwood University |
| Lubbock Christian University |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania |
| Missouri University S&T |
| Molloy College |
| Mount Olive University |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State University |
| Notre Dame College |
| Pittsburg State University |
| Saint Leo University |
| Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Simon Fraser University |
| Texas A&M University-Commerce |
| Tiffin University |
| Tusculum College |
| Union University |
| University of California, San Diego |
| University of Findlay |
| University of Minnesota Duluth |
| University of New Haven |
| University of North Georgia |
| Virginia State University |
Click
HERE to make a donation to Make-A-Wish.
For more information on NCAA Division II SAAC, click
HERE.
Click
HERE for more information regarding the partnership of NCAA Division II SAAC and Make-A-Wish.
