CEDARVILLE, Ohio – For the first time in program history, the Cedarville University Athletic Department has been granted the privilege of hosting a Make-A-Wish® Wish Reveal event on Saturday. CU raised the most dollars among the eight Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) institutions during the 2014-15 season.

A Wish Reveal is a celebration for a child who learns the details of his/her one true wish. As part of this NCAA Division II national initiative, each year schools and conferences that raise the average cost of a wish will be provided an opportunity to host a Wish Reveal or Delivery event. Led by the fund raising efforts of its Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the Yellow Jackets raised the most money in the G-MAC this year. CU will be one of 37 Division II institutions who earned the opportunity to host a Wish Reveal or Delivery this year.

The Yellow Jackets will host their Wish Reveal on Saturday, April 23, 2016 before the softball and baseball doubleheaders against Ohio Valley University at 11:45 a.m. Cedarville will host Payton (15) and her family as they learn more details about Payton's Wish. She will become a part of the Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Chapter family that has set a new record with 916 wishes granted in one year.

"From the time we first heard Cedarville University was going to have the privilege of hosting this reveal there has been a feeling of excitement," said event organizer and four-year women's soccer student-athlete Kaitlyn Stiles. "Fundraising for Make-A-Wish® was the biggest initiative throughout the year for our SAAC and Cedarville students with the bi-annual coin drives. The incredible generosity and service of our students helped make today possible."

"Our student-athletes and our general student body have done an outstanding job supporting the Division II Make-A-Wish® partnership," said Cedarville University Athletic Director Dr. Alan Geist. "I have appreciated the tremendous leadership our SAAC has shown over the years, culminating with this opportunity to host this Wish Reveal. We desire that our mission to share Christ and glorify our Lord is supremely evident as we honor Payton and her family."

The Cedarville SAAC raised $1,740 for Make-A-Wish® in 2014-15. Overall, Division II schools throughout the country raised more than $605,000 for Make-A-Wish® during the 2014-15 academic year, exceeding $600,000 for the first time in the 13 year partnership between NCAA Division II and Make-A-Wish®. As a division, the $605,000 exceeded the previous year's efforts by $37,000.

The NCAA's alliance with Make-A-Wish® began in 2003 and since then has raised over $4 million. That money has been used to grant wishes to more than 530 kids across the country with life-threatening medical conditions. According to a 2011 Wish Impact Study, the wishes can impact children's fights against their illnesses, helping them feel better and, in some cases, get better.

About Make-A-Wish®:
Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true has positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Headquartered in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish® is one of the world's leading children's charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 27,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish® grants a wish somewhere in the country every 37 minutes. It has granted more than 254,000 wishes since its inception in 1980.

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