NCA College #GoBeGreat Teams

“People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” —Edmund Hillary

We would like to give college programs the opportunity to be recognized for the Go Be Great award presented to teams that have gone above and beyond in their school and community through service and servant leadership. We have chosen 6 finalists and 6 winners for the Go Be Great award. Take a look at the great things these schools are doing to serve their communities.

Winners

Campbell University Cheer Team

Campbell University Cheerleading takes pride in being an ambassador within their community. This year the Campbell students have helped with their local special olympics cheer team, done many reading opportunities within their local schools, and were part of the MLK Day of Service helping to end world hunger where they packed over $10,000 in meals for individuals in need. They also take part in Santa’s workshop on campus where local families come and pick out gifts for free and have them wrapped.

Recently, when the Campbell Cheer Team was sidelined by COVID-19, a few of their team members stepped up and made videos to help support our local elementary students. They felt this was a way to keep our athletes connected with the public and give them motivation during this stressful time. These athletes incorporated grade level curriculum to meet the needs of the students, but also to encourage them that they are not alone in this pandemic. It was so special to see Campbell cheerleader, Matti Talley, reading Pug the Pig virtually to a group of elementary students. See the video for yourself!

Southern Arkansas University Cheer

Out of all the outreach programs SAU Cheer has done, ONE stands above them all. They were asked to be part of a Make A Wish for a sweet 7 year old girl named Makayla Anderson. Makayla had Leukemia and she came to one of the SAU Mini Cheer Clinics in the fall. She had the best time and grinned from ear to ear as she got to perform during halftime of the Mulerider Football game and loved getting to be on the sidelines cheering alongside these college athletes. She became one of their little sweethearts who they constantly prayed for. A few weeks ago, the SAU Cheer Team was told she was only given a few weeks to live and they wanted us to be part of the Make A Wish. SAU Cheer would get to be the ones to tell Makayla that she was going to go to Disney World and would leave in two days! Makayla got to go to Disney World for a week but passed away two days after returning from her trip.

SAU Cheer has been part of a few Make A Wish programs but never to one that they knew was only given a few weeks to live. They knew that when we hugged her it would be the last time. It was a very emotional yet rewarding day. These cheerleaders got to help make her wish come true and got to see her sweet smile one more time.

Sam Houston State University Spirit Program

The Orange Pride Dance Team, Coed Team, All Girl Team, and Mascot Team of Sam Houston State University worked together to complete 75 hours of community service each this year. The Sam Houston Spirit Programs completed a total of 6,600 community service hours. These athletes helped give back to the community in many different ways. Some of their community service hours included:

• Donating and helping at the Food Pantry on campus
• Hosting a Bearkat kids camp
• Helping clean offices and move furniture for other departments on campus
• Volunteering at the Good Shepard Mission in Huntsville
• Volunteering and cleaning up equipment at Golds Gym
• Donating clothing
• Volunteering at Arnauds Food Truck in town
• Volunteering at HEB in town
• Volunteering at Rita B Huffman (Animal Shelter) in town
• Volunteering at local dance studios and cheer gyms

These student athletes work hard in and out of practice. They are very appreciative from the support they continue to receive from the University and Huntsville community, and are showing their community why America needs spirit.

Neosho County Community College Spirit Program

It is a tradition of the Neosho County Community College Spirit Program to participate in a community service Scavenger Hunt the first week of school. This has been a fun way for their team to bond together, set a standard for representation, and give back to their supportive community. This allows them to get familiar with the people and places of the town by cleaning windows, picking up trash, leaving uplifting notes, taking a snack and water to local policemen, and a variety of other tasks. Another big service they have participated in for the last two years is their Veterans Day Luncheon. The team helps transport Veterans from their cars to the school’s Student Union, where they are greeted with goodie bags and led to the cafeteria. They then help carry trays, get drinks, and socialize with our veteran community throughout the meal. They also sign Christmas cards for the Veterans to be sent during the holiday season. The team is always a so humbled by the experience, and grateful for the opportunity to show their appreciation for their service to our country. Over the past year, this program has put in over 300 hours of community service, not just counting these events, but also serving at local organizational parties, hosting mini cheer clinics, delivering Poinsettias during the Holidays, as well as helping clean up and provide meals for vendors during town festivals. Serving and giving back is an essential aspect of our SHO Spirit culture!

 

Finalists

The University of Arizona Club Cheer

• UA Campus Pantry Food Drive (top donation in all of UA Club Sports)
• UA Homecoming Club Olympics-Compete with other UA Club Sports
• UA Homecoming Parade-rally crowd with Alumni Band
• Ronald McDonald Walk for Children-volunteer set up and clean up, rally participants
• Walk for Down’s Syndrome in Reid Park-rally participants, perform with youth
• Volunteer at Arizona High School State Finals-run teams through and time warm-up’s,
• Ronald McDonald House for Children Pop Tab Drive-collect can tabs/bottle caps-top collector in all of UA Club Sports
• Ronald McDonald House for Children Chef for a Day-provide and cook meals for house guests
• Arizona Club Cheer stunt clinic-stunt with Arizona youth and high school student athletes

University of Massachusetts Lowell Cheer Team

Over the past year, the UMass Lowell Cheerleading team has gone above and beyond volunteering at numerous different types of events throughout the greater Boston Area. Some specific examples of events they have volunteered at are The Team Impact Gala in May 2019, “The Walk to End Alzheimer’s” in September 2019, The National Women’s in Sports Day in February 2020 and many other smaller events.

The team’s favorite event to volunteer at all year is the Team Impact Gala hosted in Boston. This event raises money for children battling serious illnesses to help match them with college level athletic teams. These college athletic teams help build bonds with children, create a sense of belonging and provides children with happy memories while they are fighting some of the hardest battles of their lives. The program reached out to the UMass Lowell Cheerleaders a few years back and each year they continue to volunteer at this event. It is such a wonderful night cheering on the children, guests, volunteers, and being apart of something so much bigger than cheerleading.

Unfortunately this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Gala will not get to take place. This is one of the organizations biggest nights for donations and to show the children how much they mean to the teams.

Arkansas State University Spirit Program

The A-State Spirit Program attends over 200 community events and public service events throughout the year. They are highly involved in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Army ROTC Howler benefiting military, Northeast Arkansas Food Bank and Hope to Dream which gives beds, sheets, comforters, blankets and pillows to children in need. They host multiple pep rallies at the near by elementary schools, attending spirit raising events held by the Chamber of Commerce.

Their programs’ obligations are divided into three primary responsibilities – supporting the university at athletic events and spirit raising events, community service efforts, and nationals. Their community involvement has grown exponentially over the last few years and they hope to continue to give back to the community more each and every year.