TLU wins 'SCAC Change For The Better' campaign with money raised for Abby Owens Cancer Fund

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference office announced today that the Texas Lutheran University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is the winner of the league's "Change For The Better" campaign, marking the second consecutive time and fourth time in five years that the TLU SAAC has earned top honors.

 

TLU won the 2020 competition with a total of $1,571.90 raised for The Abby Owens Cancer Fund. The fund was created to contribute to Abby Owens, who was first diagnosed with a rare leukemia at the age of three. After enjoying many years of remission, Abby had a relapse in November 2019 and all funds raised will assist in targeted medication in an attempt to stabilize the disease.

 

TLU, Trinity University and University of St. Thomas all raised over $1,000 for their respective charities, representing the first, second and fourth-highest totals raised by an institution in the history of the initiative.

 

Approved by the SCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2015, the "Change for the Better" contest allows each member institution to collect as much change as possible from fans, parents and students in support of a chosen charity over the course of one week during the conference basketball season.

 

Nine of the league's 10 Student-Athlete Advisory Committees participated in this year's effort with a total of a record $4,852.89 raised for various charitable organizations.This year's total represents a 46.7 percent increase over what had been the previous conference high-water mark - $2,588.81 that was raised during the 2018 initiative.

 

In the five-year history of the event, league SAACs have made $12,732.37 in charitable contributions via the "Change For the Better" campaign.

 

The results for this year's initiative, with the school's chosen charity, are listed below:

Texas Lutheran - Abby Owens Cancer Fund ($1,571.90)

Trinity University - Children's Hospital of San Antonio ($1,099.17)

University of St. Thomas - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Celts to Cure ($1,042.00)

Johnson & Wales - Special Olympics Colorado ($383.66)

Colorado College - Children's Hosptial of Colorado Springs ($304.91)

Schreiner University - Hill Country Youth Ranch ($203.68)

Austin College - Boy's & Girl's Club of Sherman ($139.43)

University of Dallas - Special Olympics Texas ($66.14)

Southwestern University - Special Olympics Texas ($42.00)