The Big South conference member institutions and their student athletes have truly emphasized their dedication to serving their communities this October. All the Big South schools came together to mark October as Hurricane Relief Month. Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) across the conference held fundraisers, special events and other opportunities to assist with relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Florence, which devastated the east coast in September.
Specifically, Winthrop’s SAAC launched their relief efforts Oct. 20 to 27. To support this cause, the SAAC raffled off athletic gear packages donated by Winthrop’s sports teams. To raise awareness, SAAC members utilized on-campus campaigns and social media to promote this event. In the end, there were 12 winners and a total of $515 was raised and 100 percent of the proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross.
Vice President of the Winthrop SAAC Gabriel Boscardin Dias said, “I think that the fundraiser was an awesome initiative from Big South Conference, and it is great that SAAC was involved on it. I believe that it is extremely important to have student athletes giving back to the community in many different ways, and helping those in need is almost like an obligation for us.”
Dias continued, “Our university is full of generous people, and everyone seemed to be extremely interested in helping and supporting the cause during the week of tabling. It is incredible to see our student athletes using their voices and energy to make our community a little bit better, and I am proud to be part of this program.”
Contributor: Dylan Patterson
