CAA SAAC Completes Variety Of Community Service Initiatives During Spring Semester
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (May 19, 2023) – It was a busy and successful Spring for the CAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which completed a variety of community service initiatives across their campuses and surrounding areas.
Prior to the start of the academic year, the group determined that “CAA Cares” would be its platform for 2022-23. Each SAAC group was given the autonomy to determine the most impactful project to undertake in their community and what organizations to partner with.
Below is a list of the various initiatives completed by the CAA SAAC groups.
Charleston - A group of student-athletes visited James Simons Elementary School, where they read to groups of second graders from various classes. Athletes were paired with a student or group of students and either read a book for the students or helped the students read a book of their choosing.
Delaware – The Delaware SAAC group served as volunteers at the Emmanuel dining halls and also helped out at the Journey church. They are currently running a drive to donate to a local women's shelter.
Drexel - Drexel's spring initiative was its second annual clean-up on MLK Day of Service. Members from the entire athletic department worked together to clean up areas along Lancaster Ave in West Philadelphia. The activity was featured on Fox29 Philly.
Elon – Elon student-athletes did a community field day in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. Student-athletes enjoyed participating in a variety of games and activities with the children.
Hampton – The Hampton SAAC program held a clothing drive on campus, soliciting donations from April 19 to May 3. All proceeds from the clothing drive were donated to the Salvation Army Organization.
Hofstra – Hofstra conducted several initiatives, including Book Fairies. The mission of Book Fairies is to redistribute new and gently used books to under-resourced communities on Long Island and New York City. More than 150 books were donated. They also held an event called Pride Palooza, which was a pageant-like event for the student-athletes to bond, relax and laugh, but also to raise money for charity. Donations were made to the Suzanne M. Scanio Foundation (a foundation founded by Cara Scanio, women’s lacrosse senior, in honor of her mother) and the Boys and Girls Club of Hicksville.
Monmouth – The Monmouth SAAC group conduct a sunrise beach clean-up project. It was a great way to serve their community with the beach being in their backyard.
North Carolina A&T – North Carolina A&T’s SAAC group partnered with Washington Elementary to do lunch Reading Buddies. It was a four-week program to help the young kids prepare for end of grade testing.
UNCW – UNCW organized a food drive with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. They also conducted a used Shoe Drive (sneakers, cleats, athletic shoes) in collaboration with a student on campus who intends to send the shoes to underprivileged children in Panama.
Northeastern – Northeastern partnered with Be The Match, an organization that helps find donors for those who need bone marrow transplants. They set up a “swabbing station” where students on campus could volunteer to have a mouth swab and be matched with a potential person in need of a transplant.
Stony Brook – Stony Brook was active in the local schools, participating in Reading Day and Career and College Day, as well as volunteering with recess and afterschool programs. They also conducted a pair of beach clean ups, and made Easter baskets that were donated to the Sunshine Prevention and Education Center in Port Jefferson.
Towson – Towson had nearly 200 student-athletes from 15 different teams take part in The Big Event on April 29. They divided up into smaller groups and participated in 11 different community service projects in the area. The biggest projects were The Pink Event, a breast cancer awareness initiative, and Healthy Kids Day at two YMCA’s.
William & Mary – William & Mary’s SAAC group partnered with TribeTHON for the annual Dance Marathon. This is student-led event raises money for the Children's Hospital For King's Daughters (CHKD). The Dance Marathon is the final fundraising event for TribeTHON. All of the proceeds go towards providing critical care to families in need, and more than $25,000 was raised during the year.