CLEVELAND – On the strength of its Operation Global Impact service initiative, UT Arlington Athletics has been named one of three finalists by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) for the 2019 Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl. The announcement was made at the 54th Annual NACDA Convention in Orlando on Monday.
 
The Mavericks are finalists for the third-annual award along with Boston College and East Carolina University. The award recognizes NACDA member institutions in Division I and honors exceptional athletics departments which make volunteerism and community service a way of life. A five-person committee consisting of athletics directors across the country and representatives from the Fiesta Bowl and NACDA will help choose this year's award winner.
 
The winning institution – to be announced later this summer – will receive a trophy for permanent display and $10,000 for its chosen charity. The two runners-up will be awarded a trophy and $5,000 each for their respective chosen charities. The Community Service Award will be presented in the fall, at an on-campus event hosted by the winning institution.
 
With the announcement coming during NACDA's annual convention – where thousands of collegiate athletics administrators will visit during the course of the week – UTA will be displayed as a finalist alongside the trophy for all attendees to view.
 
"We are extremely honored to be recognized for this award," said UTA Director of Athletics Jim Baker. "A huge credit goes to our great SAAC leaders and Tim Kennedy (Student Development Specialist II & Life Skills Coordinator) who oversaw our community-service initiatives. While maintaining our dedication to volunteerism in the Arlington and surrounding DFW area, our student-athletes wanted to expand their reach and make an impact worldwide. The results of those efforts were truly tremendous, and I could not be more proud of them."
 
Winners of the Sun Belt Conference Community Service Initiative Award each of the last three years – and the SBC Community Service Impact Award in 2018 – UTA's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) wanted to do something different this year when it came to the geographical location of their community service. They aspired to stretch their boundaries and reach out to new locations, focusing on serving people who were suffering overseas, as well as in throughout DFW.
 
SAAC members derived the idea of sending out teams of student-athletes to different countries around the world to make an impact wherever they were serving – thus giving birth to Operation Global Impact. SAAC formed teams of student-athletes to pick their location and volunteer plan, ultimately settling on five locations outside of DFW: Uganda, Honduras, Ethiopia, South Africa and Alaska. More information about each of those service trips is included later in this release.
 
Additional community service events hosted by UTA student-athletes over the 2018-19 academic year in the local area included: Super Drive, Beat Cancer, Special Olympics Sports Camp and Mav-Move-In. More information about each of those community service events is included later in this release.
 
In addition to hosting the events, UTA received 100-percent participation rate from its 214 student-athletes in an incredible five service events: Stomp Out Hunger, Super Drive, Beat Cancer, Mav-Move-In and collecting athletic apparel for children in South Africa.
 
WORLDWIDE SERVICE DESCRIPTIONS
Team Uganda: During two weeks in Uganda, the team volunteered at Musana Community Development Organization (MCDO). They spent time doing landscaping, teaching, tutoring and playing sports with the students at the MCDO primary and secondary schools. They also helped with Vacation Bible School.
 
Team Honduras: Led a week-long basketball camp for children in a poverty-stricken area, who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the cost of attending such a camp. The team taught the children basketball skills in a supportive environment which encouraged them to pursue their dreams on and off the court.
 
Team South Africa: Collaboration with Gear 'Em Up, a non-profit organization which provides athletic apparel to athletes in developing countries. The team collected more than 300 new and slightly-used UTA athletics apparel and sent it to Gear 'Em Up, which took the apparel to South Africa to give to children in the 'Grass Roots' football (soccer) program.
 
Team Alaska: Led a three-day basketball camp on a Native American Reservation. The team spent their days teaching the children basketball skills and donated basketball gear to the attendees.
 
Team Ethiopia: The faith-based trip sent a team to Ethiopia to share their faith and encourage people in a number of villages throughout the poverty-stricken country.
 
DFW SERVICE DESCRIPTIONS
Stomp Out Hunger: Collected more than 3,000 canned goods and teamed up with The Pack Shack organization to make more than 8,000 meals which were donated to Mission Arlington and distributed to needy families throughout DFW. Also worked with a local church to provide food for patients and their families at a children's hospital the first Saturday of every month. During the summer, each week student-athletes volunteered with Meals on Wheels to deliver meals to the elderly.
 
Super Drive: Collected shoes, clothes, toys, toiletries, coats and other items that were donated to Soles4Soles, Salvation Army, MCDO and Mission Arlington. Throughout the school year, more than 1,000 clothing items, 250 pairs of shoes, 50 coats and 500 toiletry items were collected and delivered to families in need.
 
Beat Cancer: Raised $7,394 by selling pink t-shirts at men's and women's basketball and volleyball games. Student-athletes sold them at the student center as well.
 
Special Olympics Sports Camp: Student-athletes hosted a camp for Special Olympic athletes. They also volunteered at the Miracle League and played baseball with the special athletes.
 
Mav-Move-In: Student-athletes helped UTA students move into their dorms during welcome back week.
 
ABOUT NACDA
NACDA, now in its 54th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 15,700 college athletics administrators at more than 1,700 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 17 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
 
ABOUT THE FIESTA BOWL
The Fiesta Bowl's vision is to be a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, it believes in the importance of community outreach and service. Through charitable giving, the organization strives to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that contribute to the success of communities through youth, sports and education. Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has worked to increase its footprint across the state and work to benefit Arizonans year-round, during and outside of bowl season. For more information about its local impact and how to get involved, visit FiestaBowl.org.