CLEVELAND - The National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) has announced the recipients of the NADIIIAA Community Service Awards.

Each of the selected institutions is being recognized for the impressive community service projects performed by its student-athletes during the 2017-18 academic year.

The NADIIIAA Community Service Awards program, established in 2001, is intended to recognize the many contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. Recognition is given for projects in four categories: One-Time Activity/Project (Webster University), Array of Projects (SUNY Oswego), On-going Project/Activity (Catholic University) and Special Olympics Activity (University of Southern Maine).

In addition to presenting commemorative awards to the four winning institutions, NADIIIAA will make up to a $750 contribution to the general scholarship fund at each of these institutions. The awards will be presented during the NADIIIAA Reception at the NCAA Convention held at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, January 26.

In addition to the winners, each category had a runner-up and third place finisher. Below are the 2017-18 NADIIIAA Community Service Award recipients:

One-Time Activity/Project Category (23 nominees)
Winner: Webster University – 24^th Annual Webster Works Worldwide
Webster athletics participated in the 24th Annual Webster Works Worldwide. Webster Works Worldwide (WWW), a university-based community service project started in 1995, saw the Webster community come together to help those in need in the St. Louis area. Click here to learn more! 

Runner-up: Aurora University – 16^th Annual Project Linus (Learn more) 
Aurora athletics works with a local chapter of Project Linus to make fleece blankets which are eventually given to children in hospitals or children of vets/deployed soldiers, who are in need of comfort.
 
Third place: Cabrini University – Inaugural Mitch Kline Cav-A-Thon (Learn more) 
In March, Cabrini athletics hosted its inaugural dance marathon to raise awareness and money for children with pediatric cancer. The event raised close to $20,000 for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
 
An Array of Projects Category (14 nominees)
Winner: SUNY Oswego
Community engagement is part of the core mission of the SUNY Oswego athletics department. Throughout the year, various SUNY Oswego teams participate in community service projects of their own choosing. They are aimed at raising resources, awareness and showing support for various populations within the Oswego community. Click here to learn more! 

Runner-up: Arcadia University (Learn more) 
Whether it is helping out on campus, locally, or nationally, Arcadia student-athletes have touched on all of these over the course of the 2017-18 year.   

Third place: University of Southern Maine (Learn more) 
Southern Maine's SAAC leads the way on a variety of community service activities throughout the year to bring awareness to various topics or provide an avenue to engage the local community.

On-Going Project Category (19 nominees)
Winner: Catholic University – Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day of Service
Each January, on MLK Day, 500-plus Catholic University student-athletes and coaches head out into the Greater Washington, D.C. area to provide the community with a wide-ranging day of service. The student-athletes spend the day engaging in a variety of service projects - working in local schools, cleaning neighborhoods, painting buildings, beautifying city areas, etc. Click here to learn more!

Runner-up: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – Mountain View Elementary School PE (Learn more) 
Mount View Elementary School does not have dedicated PE teachers, so the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletics teams participate for three weeks out of the academic year, introducing the kids to a variety of sports.
 
Third place: Saint John's University – Kids Fighting Hunger (Learn more) 
The Saint John's SAAC led a campaign that raised over $16,000 and packaged over 100,000 meals on a Sunday in Lent. Each varsity team had at least one player participate.

Special Olympics Activity Category (10 nominees)
Winner: University of Southern Maine – SAAC Unified Sports Program
Members of USM SAAC convene weekly on Sundays at a designated time during the fall and spring semesters to greet and administer each week's activity, either social or athletic, with area Special Olympians. Athletics sessions include a 30-minute skills & drills session where rules of sport and skills are demonstrated and practiced, followed by 30 minutes of play. Social activities include casual events - like Patriots pizza party ,holiday cookie decorating, or attending USM athletics contests. Click here to learn more!

Runner-up: Alfred State College - Annual Track & Field Spectacular (Learn more) 
The Alfred State Special Olympics Track & Field Spectacular is an annual occasion where over 100 student-athletes, the entire athletics department staff, plus campus community come together to provide a sporting event for local scholastic Special Olympians. This past year more than 250 students and 100 school support staff from the local elementary and secondary schools
came to Alfred State's stadium and took part in the daylong event.
 
Third place: Babson College  - Two-day Community Basketball Event (Learn more) 
Babson athletics department, student-athletes and coaches partnered with the Special Olympics of Massachusetts for a two-day community basketball event.

About NADIIIAA: NADIIIAA athletics administrators from over 350 institutions and conferences competing at the NCAA Division III level. The Association encourages the continued development of athletics programs focused on the student-athlete and based on sound educational principles and the Division III philosophy. NADIIIAA is administered by NACDA, which is in its 54^th year. For more information on NACDA, the 17 professional associations and/or three foundations it manages, please visit www.nacda.com.