UNC Pembroke SAAC Contributes $1,950 to Make-A-Wish

PEMBROKE – A recent effort by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke has raised more than $1,900 that will be contributed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in hopes that the UNCP athletic department will eventually grant a wish in the Robeson County area.

A total of $1,950 raised from “Penny Wars” – a friendly competition between all 16 Black and Gold varsity athletic teams – will be contributed toward a larger goal of $5,000 which will allow the UNCP organization to grant a full wish to a child in the Robeson County area. Other planned events, such as a student-athlete auction and dance, as well as a 5K Fun Run, will be held in the near future in order to achieve the goal.

SAAC representatives at UNCP are also soliciting “UNCP Braves Make-A-Wish Come True” bracelets which will be sold at all 2008-09 home athletic events. To order a bracelet without attending a UNCP home event, please contact Robin Langley at (910) 521-6809 or by email at robin.langley@uncp.edu.

Current projects in the Robeson County area include children’s wishes to star in a Blues Clues episode, get air conditioning for her family’s home, meet country music star Tim McGraw or attaining a service dog.

Continuing its longstanding commitment to philanthropy, The NCAA Division II has established a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation - a global charity that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

Born in 1980, when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 67 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 41 minutes and has granted more than 153,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception.

For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish. It is the spirit of community service that has brought NCAA Division II into the Make-A-Wish family.

Division II institutions and conference offices have been introduced to the incredible Make-A-Wish experience and have learned about opportunities to share the power of a wish. The partnership officially began across the country in January 2003. The partnership provides Division II campuses and communities the opportunity to come together and join in helping to grant the wishes of children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. This can be done through volunteering, fund raising and special events across the United States that will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.