INDIANAPOLIS – For the third time in four years, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference was the top fundraising conference for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in all of NCAA Division II, raising a total of $41,341 in the 2024-25 academic period. Additionally, thanks to exemplary fundraising efforts, Edinboro, Gannon, Millersville, and West Chester are four of just 16 Division II institutions to earn "wish reveals", which are the powerful moments when children with critical illnesses find out how their wishes will be coming true.
 
Gannon’s fundraising total of $14,339 was second-highest in all of Division II for individual institutions.
 
Collectively, Division II raised nearly $270,000 during 2024-25 as part of its ongoing partnership with Make-A-Wish, about $70,000 more than the 2023-24 academic year. Since 2003, Division II institutions have donated more than $7 million and granted well over 700 wishes for children with critcal illnesses.
 
"As Division II student-athletes, we have the unique opportunity to compete at an elite level, succeed in the classroom and impact our communities," said Avery Hellmuth, former volleyball student-athlete at Oklahoma Baptist and Division II National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee chair. "Our partnership with Make-A-Wish serves to enrich the lives of children and families nationwide but also impacts us. Serving others is a muscle that needs development, and working with an incredible organization like Make-A-Wish helps us get those reps in. I'm excited to see how our partnership continues to grow and increase in impact."
 
For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit their website here.