FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee raised over $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in less than two hours Thursday in an event held in the Don Taft University Center.
 
Several NSU student-athletes participated in a pageant Thursday, attended by hundreds of students on campus. The event was cohosted by NSU rower Daesha Roberts (So., Yulee, Fla.) and women's basketball's Jasmine Wilkins (Sr., Miami, Fla.), who split emcee duties.
 
"It was awesome to see so many student-athletes and students come together to support Make-A-Wish," Haley McKissack (Sr., Orange Park, Fla.), SAAC Make-A-Wish Chair, stated. "It was our first time putting on an event like this, and honestly I don't think we could've asked for a better turnout."
 
In the end, the Sharks raised $1,070 for the Make-A-Wish foundation, one of the largest single SAAC initiated charity drives in school history.
 
Prior to the event, track and field head coach Bryan Hagopian, baseball pitching coach Justin Ramsey, Program Director for Sports Performance Steve Orris, and strength and conditioning graduate assistants Nick Sexton and Victor Ratmiroff all volunteered to be pied in the face to kick start the fundraising. The group of staff members individually raised funds for Make-A-Wish in the lead up to the pageant.
 
"Our emcees, the coaches who got pied, the participants and everyone that attended and helped out played a huge part in making the auction such a success," said McKissack. "We raised over $1,000 in less than two hours because of everyone's support, and it's really exciting to know that all the proceeds are going toward a great cause. We had a lot of fun with it and hope it's an event that can continue to grow in upcoming years."