FOREST, Va. --- This year, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) united during Division III Week to bring safe water to hundreds of men, women, and children in Puerto Rico. The conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) targeted this initiative to help with relief efforts following the natural disasters in the fall of 2017.
The ODAC partnered with Water Mission, a non-profit clean water charity that builds sustainable clean water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas. Each institution collected donations on campus and some groups hosted a Walk for Water to help bring awareness to the water crisis around the world.
“From this experience, those involved have learned the value of working to ease hardships globally,” expressed Gavin Fry, SAAC President at Virginia Wesleyan University and a cross country and track & field student-athlete. “Actively raising money for the cause of helping others to receive a basic survival necessity has allowed for myself and those involved to look past the security of our homes and to acknowledge the needs of others.”
RELATED: Water Mission | Walk for Water Initiative
Participants in the Walk for Water started the three-mile event with an empty bucket. Halfway thru, each filled their buckets with water and completed the remainder of the course. Participants ended the walk with a better understanding of the challenges people around the world face. Many are still forced to go great lengths to retrieve the water needed to meet their family’s daily needs.
The ODAC SAAC organized the fundraising initiative as a friendly competition among all 14 full-time member institutions. They embraced the challenge and collectively raised more than $1,500 for Water Mission.
“Proud is the best way to describe how I feel about our student-athletes,” expressed ODAC commissioner Brad Bankston. “We routinely see them participate in their chosen athletic arena and excel at their craft, but there is just as much activity away from competition that is an integral piece to the collegiate athletic experience. Initiatives like this and others in which our student-athletes endeavor are a great source of pride for me and show that our institutions foster a culture of community service and reaching beyond athletics.”
RELATED: NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees | NCAA Division III SAAC Home Page
ODAC schools and student-athletes have a long history of giving back to their surrounding communities as well as regional and national programs thru various outlets. The conference has had a long-standing partnership with Special Olympics Virginia, a collaboration which pre-dates the adoption of a national support program for Special Olympics by NCAA Division III.
Last spring, league members conducted an equipment drive to benefit Leveling the Play Field. LPF gives underprivileged children the opportunity to enjoy the mental and physical benefits of youth sports participation. ODAC participants helped collect more than 1,200 pieces of equipment.
During the recently completed basketball seasons, the ODAC’s men’s and women’s teams partnered with V University virtual campus for supporting cancer research with a successful first season of a multi-year collaboration. The conference’s efforts helped raise donations to support the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, as well as a few other initiatives associated with conference programs.
RELATED: Special Olympics Virginia | Leveling the Playing Field | V University Virtual Campus
For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.