Barton and Belmont Abbey Earn Annual Conference Carolinas SAAC Make-A-Wish Awards
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas recently handed out its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Make-A-Wish Foundation Awards for the 2019-20 academic year.
The annual awards were presented by Assistant Commissioner Jill Weston during the 2020 Conference Carolinas SAAC Meeting sponsored by Cambria Hotel Greenville that was held on Zoom earlier this month.
Each year, Conference Carolinas gives out the MVP Award to the institution that collects the most funds during the academic year. The Comeback Award is granted to the most improved institution when comparing funds collected from the previous academic year. Finally, the Top Play Award is presented to the institution bringing in the most money across all institutions for a single campus event.
During the 2019-20 academic year, Barton earned the Comeback Award by raising $4,630.52. The amount was also enough to allow Barton to earn the MVP Award as well.
Belmont Abbey collected the Top Play Award by raising $1,719.49 in a single event.
Overall during the 2019-20 academic year, Conference Carolinas’ SAACs raised almost $11,000 ($10,827.64).
“One of our favorite things every academic year is giving out these awards because these awards would not be possible without the hard work and efforts of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committees at all of our member institutions,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “It’s for a great cause and it speaks volumes about the kind of student-athletes we have in Conference Carolinas.”
Conference Carolinas’ almost $11,000 raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation is part of Division II’s long-standing relationship with the foundation that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.
Conference Carolinas finished in the top four among all NCAA Division II conferences for money raised in the 2019-20 academic year.
During all of the 2019-20 academic year, Conference Carolinas partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation at its championships by holding special “Miracle Minutes” where all fans in attendance were given the chance to donate money to the foundation. In addition, Conference Carolinas partnered with Make-A-Wish to have a table at championships so that all in attendance could learn more about the foundation.
During Championship Sunday of the 2020 Conference Carolinas Basketball Championships at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., Make-A-Wish children were even in attendance and they had the truly unique opportunity to sit on the bench with the teams participating in the title games.
At halftime of the men’s basketball championship, Commissioner Colvin presented the Make-A-Wish Foundation and South Carolina Vice President of Mission Advancement Amanda Osborne with a check for the funds made from the “Miracle Minutes” over the course of the 2020 Conference Carolinas Basketball Championships.
To learn more about the NCAA Division II Make-A-Wish Program, please visit
HERE.