The Wheaton College women’s basketball team, featuring Coach Melissa Hodgdon, an East Boothbay native, and player Sarah Caron of Boothbay Harbor, has been recognized for its community service work by the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) and Jostens. The Lyons received honorable mention recognition in the On-going Project category for their work with the “End the R Word” campaign.

Earlier in their season, the Lyons invited a group of Mansfield (Mass.) 7th graders to campus on three separate occasions to mentor the group on the fundamentals of basketball, schoolwork and life at home. Wheaton women's basketball head coach Melissa Hodgdon also decided to involve the Mansfield 7th graders in the "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign and pledge to "End the R Word." During their last session, both teams designed a banner, signed it and took the pledge together in a cohesive effort to raise awareness for the cause. The Mansfield 7th graders then took the banner to their school for their classmates to sign and also take the pledge to "End the R Word."

On October 2-3, the Wheaton women's basketball team brought the banner back to campus in Balfour Hood to encourage students, faculty and staff to take the pledge and sign the banner as well. The Lyons went on to present the banner to the Best Buddies group at the third annual Best Buddies Charity Softball Game on Sunday, October 5.

"Spread the Word to End the Word" is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies International and its supporters to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word "retard(ed)" and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. The effort has been spearheaded by college students, Soeren Palumbo (Notre Dame, 2011) and Tim Shriver (Yale, 2011), and led by young people, Special Olympics athletes and Best Buddies partners across the country.

"I was elated when our Athletic Director, John Sutyak ’00 notified me he would be receiving an award at the NCAA convention for our work with the Mansfield 7th graders and our ‘End the R Word’ campaign,” said Hodgdon. “Our team enjoys the work we do within the community because our student-athletes understand the impact we can have outside of the classroom and the basketball court.”

The NADIIIAA is an association comprised of athletics administrators from the nearly 450 institutions and 43 conferences competing at the NCAA Division III level. A primary purpose of the NADIIIAA is to encourage the continued development of athletics programs focused on the student-athlete and based on sound educational philosophy. The honorees were selected by a committee of athletic administrators chaired by Danielle Drews, The Director of Athletics at The Sage Colleges.

The awards program, established in 2001, is co-sponsored by the NADIIIAA and Jostens and is intended to recognize the many contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. Recognition is given for projects in three categories: One-Time Projects, An Array of Projects and On-going Project. Moravian College won the On-Going Project category, while Springfield College, Albion College and Williams College received Award of Merit Honors. Wheaton and the University of Southern Maine claimed honorable mention accolades in the On-Going Project category.

Minneapolis-based Jostens is a leading provider of products, programs and services that help people celebrate important moments, recognize achievements and build affiliation. The company's products include yearbooks, class rings, graduation products, school photography, employee and achievement awards, and products for athletics departments and their fans. Jostens is the exclusive sponsor of the NADIIIAA.

For the latest on Wheaton College Athletics, follow the Lyons via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.