Members of Denison's Student-Athlete Advisory Council pose with toys which will be donated to the Licking County Salvation Army for their annual Adopt-A-Family program.

The Denison University Student-Athlete Advisory Council (DSAAC) and the Licking County Salvation Army have joined forces for the third consecutive year in support of the "Adopt-A-Family" program.

When the program started in 2006, the council set a goal to raise enough money to provide Christmas gifts for 30 local families in need.  That goal rose to 40 families in 2007 and this year the Denison student-athletes surpassed their targeted goal and raised enough money to purchase gifts for 60 local area families. 

"We are thrilled that the Adopt-A-Family program continues to grow," stated DSAAC advisor Lynn Schweizer.  "Our student-athletes and the entire Denison community have done a tremendous job of stepping to the plate to support this wonderful charity.  We are grateful to the Salvation Army for their cooperation and we look forward to continuing this relationship in the coming years."

The Adopt-A-Family program matches impoverished families with individual or group sponsors to provide for their tangible needs at Christmas.  Without the benefit of adoption these families would be looking forward to a very grim holiday. Being adopted is designed to a once or, on very rare occasions, twice in a lifetime event for recipient families.

The mission of the Denison Student Athlete Advisory Council is to work with university administration and student-athletes to build positive relations, develop unity, and increase involvement in the campus community. The council promotes communication and offers feedback and insight into departmental issues.  The council also incorporates student-athlete opinions about proposed North Coast Athletic Conference and NCAA legislation and ecourages athletic teams to support one another.