GREENVILLE, S.C. - Conference Carolinas held its annual "Leading the Way: Champions in Body, Mind, and Soul" SAAC Retreat Presented by Atlantic Casualty on Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21.
This impactful weekend started with Conference Carolinas’ annual visit to the Boys & Girls Club on Friday, Sept. 20. The Conference Carolinas student-athletes in attendance played games with the children of the Boys & Girls Club, mixing in a lot of fun along with sportsmanship lessons.
Shortly after the visit with the Boys & Girls Club at the Kroc Center in Greenville, South Carolina, the Conference Carolinas student-athletes in attendance went back to the Crowne Plaza Greenville hotel for a dinner event including the annual Make-A-Wish awards ceremony.
Award winners were based off the previous academic year. Belmont Abbey College for Community Service and Make-A-Wish, Conference Carolinas raised over $9,000, more than $1,400 from last year. Chowan University was recognized for their leading efforts in the Canned Food Drive, while Francis Marion University won with their student-athlete programming.
“The Make-A-Wish honors are always some of our favorite awards to present to our student-athletes,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “All of our member institutions in Conference Carolinas truly embody who we are and our efforts to be champions in body, mind and soul. These Make-A-Wish honors continue to show this, while also helping us to further tell our amazing story in Conference Carolinas.”
The first day of the "Leading the Way: Champions in Body, Mind, and Soul" SAAC Retreat concluded with a student-athlete reception provided by event sponsor Atlantic Casualty.
The morning of Saturday, Sept. 21, the student-athletes participated in important meetings and breakout sessions before having the tremendous opportunity to hear from North Carolina Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Student-Athlete Development Cricket Lane and Duke Associate Director of Athletics/Director of Student-Athlete Development Leslie Barnes. Lane and Barnes provided leadership training to all in attendance.
In addition, Atlantic Casualty presented to the group on opportunities and provided them real-world experience.
The Conference Carolinas Faculty Athletic Representatives were also again in attendance this year and they held their annual business meetings while also being a part of the fun and taking advantage of all of the unique opportunities provided over the course of the special weekend.
“This weekend is always an important one on the calendar for Conference Carolinas,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “It’s incredibly important for us to provide leadership training to our student-athletes, but it’s also crucial we have fun while learning. This weekend was another perfect example of our student-athletes leading the way and living our tagline of Champions in Body, Mind, and Soul. We thank Atlantic Casualty for all they do for our student-athletes and member institutions in Conference Carolinas. Crowne Plaza Greenville is also a great host for this event."