The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognized Arkansas Tech University for the community service of its student-athletes during a basketball doubleheader at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday, Feb. 14.
ATU is the 2018-19 NCAA Division II Team Works Helper Helper community service champion. Amy Skiles from the NCAA national office staff in Indianapolis, Ind., traveled to Russellville and presented ATU President Dr. Robin E. Bowen with a trophy symbolizing the victory.
ATU student-athletes completed 3,535 hours of community work during the three months of the competition. Twenty-three local non-profit organizations benefited from the service of Wonder Boys and Golden Suns during the fall 2018 semester.
Every student-athlete at ATU participated in the service, including more than 800 hours volunteering at local elementary schools, mentoring and reading to the students and creating food backpacks.
As a result, Arkansas Tech had the most volunteer service among the more than 300 members of NCAA Division II in the United States and Canada.
According to a news release from the NCAA, NCAA Team Works and Helper Helper launched the community service competition to recognize student-athletes who give back to their communities. NCAA Team Works coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, while Helper Helper is a volunteer management and tracking platform.
The competition, which ran from September through November 2018, was based on the number of service hours completed and the number of participating student-athletes.
