CLEVELAND, Ohio (pacathletics.org) - The Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) will once again engage in a friendly, spirited fundraising competition during this year’s NCAA Division III Week.
 
The SAAC groups at NCAC and PAC member institutions will conduct a 10-day long "Change War" from Friday, March 29, through Sunday, April 7. Campus SAAC groups will collect donations during Division III Week, and the conference which raises the most combined funds will be declared the NCAC/PAC "Change War" winner. Additionally, each conference will celebrate the member school that raises the most funds within its respective league.
 
Each of the 20 conference members, nine in the NCAC and 11 in the PAC, will be raising funds through the “Change War” for an organization of their choosing.
 
“The Change War is an incredible fundraiser that capitalizes on the competitive nature of NCAC student-athletes for a philanthropic cause,” said NCAC SAAC President Kate Hinshaw. “We look forward to the friendly competition with the PAC each spring and being able to raise money for various organizations that are important to each of our schools. At Denison, we will be raising money for the West Licking County Special Olympics. This is a group that we work closely with throughout the year and we are so excited to be able to raise funds for our local Special Olympics chapter."
 
PAC SAAC President Ethan Lown shared, “Our annual Change Wars competition with the NCAC is a special tradition to celebrate Division III Week. SAAC representatives from across the PAC have enjoyed brainstorming a variety of different fundraising methods for the competition. I am continuously impressed with the ambition and creativity displayed by my fellow student-athletes. This year particularly, I have enjoyed learning of the diverse group of nonprofit organizations PAC schools will be donating money towards. Together with the NCAC, our conference can positively impact local communities through the Change Wars competition.”
 
The philanthropy of the two leagues has generated over $38,100 in eight years for nine different foundations. The two leagues combined to raise $3,600 for The Cure Starts Now Cancer Research Foundation in 2015 and just over $5,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research in 2016. In 2017, the NCAC raised $2,179.37 for the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in support of the late Allegheny College head volleyball coach Bridget Sheehan and her fight against fallopian cancer, while the PAC raised $1,921.29 for the Beaver County (PA) Cancer & Heart Association in support of Geneva College head women's basketball coach Lori Wynn and her battle with ovarian cancer. The two leagues combined to raise just over $5,600 in 2018 for LifeBanc in memory of the College of Wooster’s Clayton Geib, a senior chemistry major and football player at Wooster, who passed away on Sunday, September 17, 2017. Then in 2019, the NCAC and PAC combined to raise $5,833.65 which was directed to Active Minds, the nation’s premier non-profit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students. In 2021, the NCAC then raised over $800 for The McLendon Foundation, whose mission is to empower and develop minorities who aspire to be principled leaders in athletics administration by providing educational resources and access to a life-long community of mentors, and the PAC collected $598 for The Pittsburgh Foundation, an organization established in 1945 that works to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region by evaluating and addressing community issues, promoting responsible philanthropy and connecting donors to the critical needs of the community. The two leagues combined to raise over $5,200 for Special Olympics in celebration of Division III SAAC’s 10-year anniversary of its partnership with the organization in 2022. Last year, the NCAC and PAC collected over $7,500 that was distributed to the local Special Olympics chapters relative to each school.
 
Division III Week, established in 2010 to sharpen the division's identity and enable schools and conferences to more effectively explain why they prefer to compete in Division III, the NCAA's largest division, is a positive opportunity for all individuals associated with Division III to observe and celebrate the impact of athletics and of student-athletes on their campuses and surrounding communities. During the week, every Division III school and conference office is encouraged to conduct a type of outreach activity that falls into one of three categories: academic accomplishment, athletic experience, or leadership-community service-campus involvement.

Formally organized in 1955, the PAC is currently comprised of 11 select, private institutions -- Allegheny College, Bethany College, Chatham University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College. Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University have competed as affiliate members in the sport of football since 2012. The PAC crowns league champions and awards all-conference honors in its 23 championship sports (12 men, 11 women).
 
Founded in 1983, the North Coast Athletic Conference is made up of nine academically selective colleges and universities - DePauw University, Denison University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College, Wittenberg University and the College of Wooster, along with affiliate members, Allegheny College, Earlham College, Transylvania University and Washington & Jefferson College (field hockey). The NCAC sponsors 23 championship sports, 11 for men and 12 for women.