MSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee brings in record donations for DVCC

MINOT, N.D. - A month-long winter clothing and food drive led by the Minot State University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) brought in record donations for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC) this October, filling a minivan with bags and bins gathered from every athletic team.

Mallory Hoogensen, a senior softball player from Ankeny, Iowa and SAAC's president, said the initiative grew from years of collaboration with the DVCC and the committee's commitment to maintaining that partnership, even without a conference-level directive.

"In past years, SAAC has partnered with the DVCC to do similar service projects during the month of October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month," she said. "The NSIC in the past has also had an initiative for domestic violence awareness, and although this is not a current conference initiative during the 2025-2026 academic year, our committee knew this was something that we wanted to do for this organization and our community."

Hoogensen credited SAAC philanthropy officer Noah Iosefa, a senior football player from Holt, Michigan, with helping initiate the project.

"Noah reached out to the DVCC and brainstormed ideas with them on what needs they had," she said. "Noah and I then discussed what would be most doable for our committee and landed on the donation drive that we conducted from Oct. 1-27."

As planning began, Hoogensen focused on motivating student athletes to see the impact they could make.

"My biggest goal that I had when coordinating this event was creating motivation for our committee members as well as all the teams here at MSU so we can give back as much as possible to our community," she said. "I shared that I firmly believe that if you pay something forward, that something will come back to you in return in a positive way."

To sustain enthusiasm, she tapped into a beloved campus tradition: the Beaver Cup.

"I motivated the teams to participate by creating a friendly competition to earn Beaver Cup points that go towards our biggest award handed out at BESPY's, the Beaver Cup," she added.

Alex Engel, SAAC vice president and senior baseball player from Centennial, Colorado, agreed that the competitive aspect played a key role.

"Making it a competition, I think, helped for sure; we had gotten a lot of donations through the competitive spirit, and also through awarding Beaver Cup points to teams for participating," he said. "Anytime you use the word competition across sports, you are going to have a higher rate of participation for a good cause."

Even with early uncertainty about how many donations they would receive, both Hoogensen and Engel said the turnout exceeded expectations.

"The most rewarding part of watching this project come together was seeing all the SAAC reps bring in bins and bags full of donation items," Hoogensen said. "Once we had our meeting on the 27th and filled a minivan full of items, it truly warmed my heart."

Engel, who used his personal vehicle for the delivery, was equally impressed.

"When I showed up for the meeting, I was blown away by the sheer amount of clothes, food, and other items that had been donated and were packed and ready to go," he said.

He added that transporting the donations proved simple thanks to assistance from DVCC staff.

"Luckily, I do have a minivan, so the overall transportation of the donations was pretty easy, and those who were working at the DVCC were more than helpful for helping us get all of the items in the building," he said.

Behind the scenes, the effort relied heavily on steady communication between SAAC leadership and team representatives.

"Noah, being our officer for philanthropy, communicated with the DVCC on what needs they had," Hoogensen said. "This message got relayed to myself, and then I communicated with Alex on doing a winter gear drive during the month of October."

Engel said he and Hoogensen worked closely with SAAC advisor and Faculty Athletic Representative Kristi Berg, MSU professor of computer information systems, to coordinate details.

"Mallory and I did a lot of work together with Kristi Berg to establish the scoring system and how we were going to handle getting the word out about the drive, which was an awesome collaboration process to get the chance to help in," he said. "Having our reps (representatives) be active in such an impactful event became very important. We sent reminders in our team group chats and utilized social media through Anna (senior softball player from Kaukauna, Wisconsin Anna LaCount) to help spread the word of the drive to people who might have wanted to participate."

Hoogensen acknowledged a challenge faced by many college students: asking them to part with items they may also need.

"I recognize that we are all college students and sometimes food, clothing, and other items such as these. We need them for ourselves," she said. "I did highlight to my own team, that I know that everyone has at least one sweatshirt or winter clothing item that they may not have used in a while, and that someone needs it more than we do."

She added that the drive reflects the values shared by Minot State's student athletes.

"We as student athletes recognize the amazing support that we get from the town of Minot," she said. "People in our community do not get this luxury, so we can hopefully bridge that gap by donating items from previous years or from former teammates to those in need."

For Engel, the biggest takeaway was witnessing the generosity within the athletic community.

"As cheesy as it sounds, people are kind," he said. "Even in the spirit of competition finding the little bits of kindness in items donated shows what kind of athletes we have here in Minot."

Looking ahead, Hoogensen hopes SAAC can continue to expand its service efforts.

"I see SAAC continuing to grow its presence and impact on community service projects in the future by continuing to plan at least a semester in advance of events," she said.

"Absolutely, I am a senior, but I hope to hear and see more images and stories on social media about the same drive and possibly others," Engel added. "I think we have a good group in SAAC that wants to be there and is motivated to make positive changes in the community.

"I would want people to remember how big of an impact they can have on other lives, even if it does not feel like they have that same ability."