IRVINE, Calif. – The PacWest presented its annual community service awards during a dinner at the 2016 Executive Board Meetings in San Diego last week. Five athletic departments were honored for their outstanding community service contributions during the 2015-16 year.
The Community Engagement Award was presented to Academy of Art and Dixie State. Each SAAC chapter submits a summary of their community services efforts from throughout the year and a panel of administrative representatives chooses the school(s) that contributed to the community in the most notable ways.
Academy of Art completed 2,419 hours of community service during the year. The Urban Knights joined the NCAA Team Works competition, sponsored by Helper Helper, to encourage student-athlete involvement and raise awareness. The initiative paid off as Academy of Art was named the Division II Community Service Champion with the most hours contributed, including three women’s teams in the top-five in the nation. The women’s soccer program was a finalist for the DII Award of Excellence in recognition of its National Coming Out Day event.
Dixie State completed 2,126.5 hours of community service to win the conference award for the fourth time. The Dixie State men’s and women’s soccer teams held large clinics for local youth and special needs players. The SAAC organized a Martin Luther King Day food drive and an outdoor play drive. All Dixie State sports participated in the annual Trunk-or-Treat event on campus to provide Washington County community members with a family friendly trick-or-treating environment on Halloween.
The Diversity Award was presented to Hawai’i Hilo. The award is given to an institution that, through its community engagement activities, shows a commitment to diversity and inclusivity by creating, sponsoring or participating in programming that embraces and celebrates those within the university's community who are underrepresented. The Vulcans were active all over the Big Island, with several projects that benefitted schools and youth organizations.
The Make-A-Wish Award was presented to Fresno Pacific and Holy Names. The award honors the schools that raise the most money in Make-A-Wish fundraising events during the school year. Fresno Pacific raised $3,223 and Holy Names raised $3,257.