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    Benedict event wins DII community-engagement award

    Jun 22, 2010 8:35:56 AM


    The NCAA News

     

    A powerful Benedict College program that transformed the loss of a child to asthma into a day of joy, awareness, testing and support has been selected as the winner of the Division II Community-Engagement Award of Excellence for 2009-10.

    The award was announced Saturday at the Division II Chancellors and Presidents Summit in Indianapolis.

    The Daniel Burgess Tricycle Relays was chosen from nominations submitted by 18 Division II conferences. Each conference winner received $500, and Benedict received a trophy in recognition of its award-winning program.

    "What I liked most was just the idea of a joyful experience in a tricycle race and the way they really invited the whole community to be involved," said community-engagement consultant Rich Luker, who joined student-athletes Rose Broderick and Jennifer Chow on a judging panel. "This wasn't just a tribute. It was a carefully planned program that touched on a wide range of audiences, a broad array of communication approaches to get the word out, participation across the campus and financial support in the community. This is a magnificent model for taking a local tragedy and converting it into a meaningful and enjoyable community experience."

    The Benedict athletics department, along with the South Carolina Asthma Alliance, hosted the relays to raise awareness about asthma after the death of Daniel Burgess, the son of a Benedict employee. The tricycle relays not only featured actual races but also educational seminars, screenings, physical fitness and vendors. The event totaled more than $4,000 in sponsorship and donations, and $2,000 was donated to the South Carolina Asthma Alliance to raise awareness about asthma.

    Numerous Benedict student-athletes, faculty, staff and community residents were screened for asthma, and seven tested positive, including four Benedict students.

    "We're very appreciative of this award," said Benedict Athletics Director Willie Washington said at Saturday's Chancellors and Presidents Summit. "This award was really an attempt on behalf of the college to work with the asthma association in Columbia, South Carolina. We had a man on the staff and his son passed away, and we figured it would be a great tribute to go and do something good for the community."

    Second place went to the Peach Belt Conference for its PBC Art Show and Spirit Day Competition.

    In conjunction with the Peach Belt Conference men's and women's basketball championships, the Art Show and Spirit Day Competition placed community and campus engagement at the forefront of the conference basketball championship. The Spirit Day competition took place on PBC Semifinal Saturday, with team and individual awards presented to each winning team. Along with the Spirit Day Competition, the PBC Art Show was open for the duration of the tournaments in the arena. Twenty-five students and 18 faculty members contributed. Fans could browse the art show while the basketball games were being played, at halftime or between games.

    "The thing I like the most is that the conference and the schools are working together and beyond sports in a way that will encourage all the schools in the conference to be more community oriented," Luker said.

    Other notable programs included:

     

    Conference winners

     

    California Collegiate Athletic Association – Cal San Diego

    Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference − Holy Family

    Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference − Saginaw Valley State

    Great Lakes Valley Conference − Rockhurst

    Great Northwest Athletic Conference − Montana State Billings

    Gulf South Conference − North Alabama

    Heartland Conference − Texas A&M International

    Lone Star Conference − Texas A&M-Kingsville

    Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference − Missouri Western State

    Northeast-10 Conference − Franklin Pierce

    Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference − Upper Iowa

    Pacific West Conference − Grand Canyon

    Peach Belt Conference − Peach Belt Conference

    Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference − Shippensburg

    South Atlantic Conference − Newberry 

    Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference − Benedict

    Sunshine State Conference − Lynn

    West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference − Fairmont State