CALDWELL ATHLETICS NAMED AS FINALIST FOR 2023 NCAA DIVISION 11 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
The Caldwell Athletics Department was selected as a finalist for the 2023 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence for its community initiative last year. The department represented the conference on the national level after receiving the 2021-22 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Community Engagement Award for taking part in the Jared Box Project in February 2022. As a finalist, the department receives $500 for its support of the Division II philosophy and can use these dollars for future Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) initiatives or other events to further support engagement on campus and in the community.
“We are very honored to be selected as a finalist for the 2023 Division II Award of Excellence,” said Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Mark A. Corino. “We are fortunate to have outstanding student-athletes and staff that contributed their time and efforts in support of this event last year. Our department will continue to find opportunities to continue to promote the Division II mission and
philosophy as well as the core values of our institution. I am proud of our staff and student-athletes for receiving national recognition for their tireless work on this community service initiative.”
Supporting the mission of NCAA Division II, SAAC in conjunction with Student-Athlete Mentors, Caldwell University Breaks Stigma and Athletics Department staff members, organized the completion of the Jared Box Project. The project involves the assembly of small boxes of toys meant to entertain and put smiles on the faces of children in the hospital. Each box contained small gifts, toys, games, crayons, coloring books and fun activities selected for a specific age and gender, a personalized note from a student-athlete and CU gifts.
The community service project was part of Caldwell’s celebration of Division II Day on Feb. 22, 2022. The project began with Cougar student-athletes raising money to purchase the toys and boxes. Caldwell’s SAAC put together a gift basket auction, collecting basket donations from each team and other departments on campus. The auction took place on Super Saturday and the SAAC raised $1,613, which was used to purchase the items for the boxes. The culmination of the project was the delivery of the 76 boxes to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center on D2 Day, Feb. 22, 2022. Members of staff and the CU softball team made the delivery. Caldwell staff members were unable to go inside and visit with the pediatric patients, but the school was happy to receive positive feedback from the hospital and a “shout out” on social media from one of the children who received a box.
—JT
