INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Thanks to their efforts to build an inclusive community with Special Olympics Coquitlam, the Simon Fraser University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has been selected a finalist for the 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence.
 
A committee of NCAA athletics administrators determined this year's finalists. The committee was impressed by the way SFU student-athletes demonstrated community engagement and student-athlete leadership in a positive, powerful and transformative way.
 
SFU SAAC's relationship with Special Olympics Coquitlam has seen over 70 student-athlete volunteers coach weekly fitness classes with individuals with intellectual disabilities, culminating in a showcase event celebrating Special Olympians at an SFU women's basketball game last year.
 
 
"Connecting our student-athletes with Special Olympics has been a major passion of mine over the past few years," said Laura Jones, a former member of the women's golf team who initiated the program on behalf of SAAC.  "I have been blown away by the amount of support this initiative has received from the SFU Athletics community, and I am excited to see everyone's contributions being recognized. Volunteering with Special Olympics has reminded us all of how much more there is to our athletic careers than wins and losses, inspiring us to use sport to give back and create inclusive communities."
 
Student-athletes shared their love of sport with Special Olympians in weekly fitness workouts, leading activities while supporting, encouraging and modifying movements to each individual. Student-athletes even brought their own sport specific exercises and Special Olympians were thrilled to experience these routines.
 
More than 20 Special Olympians, plus their families, support staff and caregivers were treated as VIPs at a women's basketball game, and in an environment of cooperation, collaboration and dignity, Special Olympians and student-athletes joined together to deliver cookies and hot chocolate by donation to fans in their seats. Nearly $1,000 was raised for Special Olympics and the community was inspired by their connections to their new friends.
 
When the pandemic struck, student-athletes quickly pivoted to weekly virtual workouts that have continued this year. The partnership with Special Olympics Coquitlam has been so empowering, SAAC has made it a core piece of its community engagement plans, and the response from student-athletes to act as volunteer coaches has been so overwhelming that student-athletes have had to be waitlisted.


 
"The initiative not only enriched the lives of those Special Olympians touched by the program but also opened the eyes of our student-athletes, who witnessed the transformative power of sport to build community, friendships, and a sense of belonging," said Theresa Hanson, senior director of athletics and recreation at SFU. "These Student-athletes will take this experience forward with them as they become the future leaders of our communities."
 
Jones, a top scholar-athlete at SFU who was recently accepted into medical school at UBC, and SAAC President Ryan Stolys, a leader on the men's golf team, are thrilled to keep the program going into the future.
 
"The SAAC's Special Olympics involvement has been a major piece of our community involvement efforts over the past couple of years and it has been a highlight for many of our student athletes participating," said Stolys. "We are so excited to continue our relationship with Special Olympics and to touch so many more lives in the months and years ahead."
 
Twenty-eight schools and one conference were named finalists for the 2021 Division II Award of Excellence. Each finalist will receive $500 USD which is intended for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events. Roberts Wesleyan University, which raised more than $10,000 for the acute care children's hospital near its campus in Rochester, New York, won the 2021 Division II Award of Excellence.
 
  
SFU SAAC is recognized among the most active leadership groups in NCAA DII. In fall 2020, SFU SAAC was named one of the top fundraising schools in NCAA Division II, raising more than $6,000 for Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
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