The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has selected Special Olympics as the beneficiary of its 2009-10 community-involvement efforts by student-athlete advisory councils at league schools.

It is the first time the conference’s SAAC has agreed to volunteer time, raise money and raise awareness for one organization through a school year.

“Since my predecessor (Rick Meckfessel) was here, our conference SAAC group has tried to organize some sort of community involvement in which SAAC groups at each member institution would participate,” said SLIAC Commissioner William J. Wolper. “We were finally able to make a determination and lay the groundwork at our meeting last February before finalizing things at our most recent conference SAAC meeting.

“Division III student-athletes compete in intercollegiate athletics for their love and passion of the sport, quite often are dual-sport athletes, and their involvement is only a part of their college experience. That same description can be used to describe Special Olympics athletes.”

SAAC groups at the league’s nine member schools will choose their own activities to benefit Special Olympics, including hosting clinics or halftime competitions for Special Olympics athletes and volunteering to assist with the numerous events sponsored by the organization.

The student-athletes also will raise funds for Special Olympics, including through participation in the 2010 Polar Bear Plunge on February 6 in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri.