2015-16 PBC Yearbook | Page 90

2 5 Y E A R S 88 has earned their first Most Improved Award at the league’s annual meeting in Hilton Head on Tuesday. North Georgia raised $34,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the 2015-16 academic year, the most ever by a PBC school. This marks the sixth straight year that the Nighthawks have reached the five-digit mark for annual giving and they remain the only PBC school to do so. Georgia College came in second with $8,200; Young Harris was third with $5,628 and Flagler contributed $3,509. During the 2014-15 academic year, Columbus State raised $750 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year they more than quadrupled their Make-AWish contributions by raising $3,147 earning them the league’s Most Improved Award. Overall, Peach Belt Conference members raised $65,700 with 11 out of 14 institutions giving a thousand or more. The PBC should remain a top contender for the national award for conference giving, surpassing last year’s winning total by $12,000. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experiences with hope, strength, and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police office, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 66 chapters in the United States and its territories. Led by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Division II schools raised more than $605,000 for the Make-A-Wish campaign during 2014-15, exceeding the previous year’s efforts by $37,000 and setting another Division II fundraising record. Since beginning its alliance with Make-A-Wish in 20013, Division II has raised more than $3.2 million toward granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. These wishes can serve as a game changer in children’s fights against their illnesses, helping them feel better, and in some cases even get better. The PBC Make-A-Wish awards were renamed the LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Awards following the 2013-14 season. Noble was a women’s golfer at the University of North Georgia and former wish recipient from Make-A-Wish. She appeared on the cover of NCAA Champion Magazine in the fall of 2013 and sadly passed away in March of 2014. Her dedication to the Make-A-Wish program will live on with these awards that will forever bear her name. Six Straight! Flagler Claims PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award HILTON HEAD, SC – Flagler College won their sixth consecutive PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award Tuesday night at the PBC annual awards dinner in Hilton Head. The banner that rotates from school to school depending on who the current champion is will hang in St