NCAA

While Division II schools engage with their communities locally, the division also recognizes the need to contribute on a national scale.

There’s no better example of that commitment than Division II’s long-standing relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is the primary student-based group that contributes to policy-making for the division, established the Make-A-Wish partnership in 2003 and has since become one of the foundation’s largest and most consistent contributors.

Division II has raised more than $5.3 million toward granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. More than 660 “wishes” have been granted through Division II contributions. These wishes can serve as a game changer in children’s fights against their illnesses, helping them feel better, and in some cases even get better.

In 2015, Division II SAAC adopted a new program for the initiative. Rather than donating money from Division II championship and enforcement fines generally to Make-A-Wish, the division permits SAAC to earmark this money to top fundraising institutions to allow them the opportunity to host a Make-A-Wish reveal party on their campuses.