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The University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) received its ninth consecutive LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Award for most funds raised. The (PBC) award was presented at the May awards dinner in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û has finished in the top five in NCAA Division II in Make-A-Wish giving for seven years in a row and led the country on five occasions. In 2017-18, Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û raised $31,875 for Make-A-Wish, nearly $6,000 more than the previous year.

The grants wishes to children with critical illnesses.

"This is about giving back to a wonderful foundation and to our community," said , director of athletics at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û. "The student athletes are committed to giving back and especially to children who are not as lucky as they are and are battling life-threatening illnesses."

Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û student athletes are responsible for initiating the fundraising methods. Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's annual Make-A-Wish Walk for Heroes raises more than $20,000 a year, Reeves said.

"Student athletes also raise money each year at Dahlonega's Gold Rush Festival and other smaller initiatives held at athletic events," she said.

Since 2010, Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û has raised more than $133,000 for Make-A-Wish, helping grant more than 13 wishes in eight years. After raising at least $10,000 each academic year since 2010-11, the Nighthawk Nation earned the honor of hosting six Make-A-Wish reveals. The top eight schools in fundraising are granted a reveal, Reeves said.

In April, Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û held a Make-A-Wish reveal party for Chandler Holcomb, the 2018 Make-A-Wish recipient from Gainesville, Georgia. Holcomb, a 9-year-old battling leukemia, was granted his wish of going on a Disney Cruise to the Caribbean with his family.

Chandler Holcomb, a 9-year-old from Gainesville battling leukemia, is escorted by Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's Nigel the Nighthawk past student-athletes at the Coleman Field House as part of his Make-A-Wish celebration at Bob Stein Stadium on April 17.

Reeves said these reveals are special for the student athletes.

"This effort hits very close to home for the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û athletics community as we have had two Make-A-Wish children as student athletes in the past 10 years," she said.

The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is the primary student-based group that contributes to making policy for the division, established the Make-A-Wish partnership in 2003. It has become one of the foundation's largest and most consistent contributors. Each year, all Division II schools participate in raising money for Make-A-Wish.

Division II has raised more than $5.3 million toward granting the wishes of more than 660 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 Award following the 2013-14 season. Noble was a women's golfer at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û and former wish recipient from Make-A-Wish. She appeared on the cover of NCAA Champion Magazine in fall 2013 and died in March 2014. Her dedication to the Make-A-Wish program will live on with these awards forever bearing her name.