Aurora University Athletics

For the third consecutive year, the members of the Aurora University and Northern Athletics Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (NAC SAAC) want to do something together as a conference that would help in their respective communities. As a result, the AU and NAC SAAC are continuing the Northern Athletics Conference Food Drive (formerly called Cans Across the Conference). SAAC is once again organizing the canned food drive as a community service competition amongst the 13 institutions in the NAC. Each campus SAAC will collect cans and other non-perishable items on their campus through November 24 to benefit a local charity. The AU SAAC, benefiting the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, will collect cans and non-perishable items during the Spartan football game against Lakeland College at Vago Field (Saturday, November 15, 2008, noon game time), the Spartan men's basketball game against Millikin University in Thornton Gymnasium (Saturday, November 15, 2008, 5:00 p.m. game time) and the Spartan women's basketball game against Carthage College in Thornton Gymnasium (Monday, November 17, 2008, 7:00 p.m. game time). In addition to food items, $1 donated will equal two cans. In addition, toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) will be collected. "This is an outstanding project that SAAC and all of the NAC student-athletes are undertaking. It will benefit many people," remarks Dr. G. Steven Larson, Commissioner of the Northern Athletics Conference. "Our institutions and student-athletes have done a remarkable job collecting over 8,000 items in year one and doubling this to over 16,000 items in year two." In 2007, Aurora University topped the field with 3,513 items. In 2006, Concordia University Wisconsin won the traveling trophy with 1,311 donated items. The NAC SAAC set this year's goal at 20,000 items. -END-