MORROW, Ga. – In a new and exciting extension of the ongoing partnership between Clayton State Athletics and Make-A-Wish, the official charity of NCAA Division II, the Department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has announced the addition of a new online giving portal.
 
Launched in conjunction with the national Make-A-Wish office, the portal allows individuals that wish to contribute to the organization's extensive charitable efforts an easy and secure way to do so.
 
The link, housed on the SAAC home page on www.ClaytonStateSports.com, allows for preset donation amounts of $25, $50 and $100 as well as any other amount with at least a $5 minimum.
 
Individuals can contribute via most major credit cards as well as PayPal and also opt to receive periodic communications from Make-A-Wish. Additionally, all contributions can be counted as charitable donations for tax purposes and individuals can also track the Lakers' progress towards a $10,000 goal right on the donation page.
 
Clayton State Athletics has had a long standing and positive relationship with Make-A-Wish and is pleased to be able to provide a simple and secure method to increase those donations that will go to fulfill the wish of a deserving child.
 
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH
Tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters advance the Make-A-Wish® vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness. In the United States and its territories, on average, a wish is granted every 34 minutes. We believe a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one belief guides us and inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve.
 
ABOUT NCAA DIVISION II AND MAKE-A-WISH
While Division II schools engage with their communities locally, the division also recognizes the need to contribute on a national scale.
 
There's no better example of that commitment than Division II's long-standing relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is the primary student-based group that contributes to policy-making for the division, established the Make-A-Wish partnership in 2003 and has since become one of the foundation's largest and most consistent contributors.
 
Division II has raised more than $5.3 million toward granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. More than 660 "wishes" have been granted through Division II contributions. 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.
 
In 2015, Division II SAAC adopted a new program for the initiative. Rather than donating money from Division II championship and enforcement fines generally to Make-A-Wish, the division permits SAAC to earmark this money to top fundraising institutions to allow them the opportunity to host a Make-A-Wish reveal party on their campuses.