Division II schools raised more than $608,000 for Make-A-Wish during the 2015-16 academic year, marking the fifth consecutive year the division has set a fundraising record.
The division has raised more than $4.7 million for Make-A-Wish since beginning its partnership with the nonprofit 13 years ago. Those funds have been used to grant more than 590 wishes for children around the country who face life-threatening medical conditions.
During the 2015-16 academic year, every conference raised funds for Make-A-Wish, with 238 Division II schools participating nationwide and in Canada. Five conferences had 100 percent participation by its members: the East Coast Conference, the Heartland Conference, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the South Atlantic Conference. Two conferences — the Peach Belt Conference and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference — set a record by raising more than $60,000 each. At the campus level, the University of North Georgia led the way by bringing in $34,000, also a record.
The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee established the partnership with Make-A-Wish in 2003 and continues to drive the division-wide initiative. SAAC continued a model adopted last year in which money collected from championship and enforcement fines are added to institutional fundraising totals to allow institutions the opportunity to host a wish reveal party on campus. In 2015-16, five schools raised above the national average cost of a wish reveal — $9,500 — and automatically earned a wish reveal party. For an additional 21 schools, which all raised $5,000 or more, SAAC will award money from the fines to help them meet the minimum fundraising requirement for a wish reveal.
“The fundraising effort for Make-A-Wish is so important because it provides SAAC and Division II athletes the chance to realize the positive impact they can have in someone’s life,” said Christopher Pike, a former football student-athlete at Gannon University and former Division II SAAC chair. “Division II SAAC couldn’t be more pleased with this year’s Make-A-Wish efforts, and we continually hope that we as a division can keep raising the bar because together we are making a huge difference.”
Top institutions and wish reveal hosts
| 1. | University of North Georgia | $34,000 |
| 2. | Lubbock Christian University | $18,823 |
| 3. | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | $15,557.24 |
| 4. | Delta State University | $11,210.70 |
| 5. | Lake Superior State University | $10,282.21 |
| 6. | University of California, San Diego | $9,202.49 |
| 7. | Oklahoma Baptist University | $8,649.20 |
| 8. | Seton Hill University | $8,212.53 |
| 9. | Georgia College | $8,200 |
| 10. | West Texas A&M University | $7,491.24 |
| 11. | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | $7,297.36 |
| 12. | Molloy College | $7,136.50 |
| 13. | University of New Haven | $7,035 |
| 14. | Grand Valley State University | $7,000 |
| 15. | Lindenwood University | $6,920 |
| 16. | University of Findlay | $6,794 |
| 17. | Texas A&M University-Commerce | $6,637 |
| 18. | California State University, Stanislaus | $6,000.45 |
| 19. | Barry University | $5,990 |
| 20. | University of Indianapolis | $5,729 |
| 21. | Young Harris College | $5,628.50 |
| 22. | Ashland University | $5,227.46 |
| 23. | California State University, San Marcos | $5,100 |
| 24. | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | $5,050 |
| 25. | California State University, Chico | $5,000 |
| 25. | Tiffin University | $5,000 |
Top institutions and wish reveal hosts
| 1. | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | $66,893.48 |
| 2. | Peach Belt Conference | $63,208.95 |
| 3. | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | $38,660.61 |
| 4. | California Collegiate Athletic Association | $35,405.44 |
| 5. | Great Lakes Valley Conference | $26,364.22 |
| 6. | Heartland Conference | $25,521.83 |
| 7. | South Atlantic Conference | $23,884.41 |
| 8. | Lone Star Conference | $21,508.97 |
| 9. | Gulf South Conference | $20,520.36 |
| 10. | Northeast-10 Conference | $18,678.46 |
| 11. | Pacific West Conference | $16,572.58 |
| 12. | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | $16,479.72 |
| 13. | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | $16,477.69 |
| 14. | Great American Conference | $16,055.52 |
| 15. | East Coast Conference | $15,536 |
| 16. | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | $14,284.92 |
| 17. | Sunshine State Conference | $11,208 |
| 18. | Conference Carolinas | $10,945.66 |
| 19. | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | $10,625.47 |
| 20. | Great Midwest Athletic Conference | $9,734.20 |
| 21. | Mountain East Conference | $8,598.60 |
| 22. | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | $8,167.79 |
| 23. | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | $5,449.21 |
| 24. | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | $4,070.34 |
| 25. | Independents | $691.50 |