"Bridgewater’s SAAC has been extremely active this fall, in order to keep athletes engaged in the wider community we are a part of, as well as to keep the fire of competitiveness burning until we are on the field/court/track again," said Erin Fitzpatrick, a Senior for Bridgewater College Women's Track & Field, "We held a competition amongst our teams, with Men's Basketball blowing it out the water. We also wanted to be competitive within the ODAC!"

She continues, "Being able to give to others during these difficult times is certainly a privilege, which I believe a lot of our athletes recognized, inspiring them to go above and beyond. Especially in comparison to what Bridgewater raised last year, I am very proud of my fellow student-athletes. I am so excited to see how our teams keep this momentum going into the spring, during competition and for D3 donates!" 

The drive, which concluded recently, was a huge success with the ODAC student-athletes and campus communities. Bridgewater College led the way accumulating 6,526 items in the drive. Some ODAC institutions were specific in their efforts to help those in need. Guilford College raised $625 targeting single-parent households and delivered 10 meals to families from different backgrounds, and gave $30 gift cards to 10 additional families. Hollins University raised $834 and provided 16 families with $50 Kroger gift cards for Thanksgiving. Randolph-Macon College raised an impressive $2,865 in cash donations.

All food items and money were donated to a local organization of each school's choice. Overall, the ODAC collected 10,088 items and raised over $4,900.

Ben James, a Junior on the Guilford College Men's Soccer team said, "Normally, the canned food drive is a way that schools collect food to give to a food pantry but a need for intimacy from both sides piqued my interest. Over falafel and some of the best tabouli in Greensboro, co-president Corby Brooke and I had a planning meeting with Guilford Athletic Administrators Stephanie Flamini and Sharon Beverly. After a short conference call, W&L had given us the idea of raising money instead of gathering cans; Bridgewater and VWU guided Guilford in making this competitive."

He added, "Only thing different that we did was take a common idea of serving Thanksgiving meals and make it culturally relative. No Turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce or even stories about settlement. This was purely about giving thanks. A way to express a deep care and love for our neighbors who have known hardship well before coronavirus. This year, find gratitude in virtual dinners, connection over a less than desirable condition, and conditioning to prepare for a more than desirable spring season." 

The SAAC will conduct its next conference-wide initiative as part of Division III Week, which is held April 5-11, 2021. The ODAC will partner with Water Mission, a non-profit clean water charity that builds sustainable clean water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas.  Each institution will raise funds to help bring safe water to hundreds of men, women, and children in Puerto Rico. This marks the third time in four years the ODAC will work with Water Mission.