Miami Athletics Captures Third NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami Athletics captured first place in the 2024 NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition powered by Helper Helper, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Miami earned the Division I award, with 99 percent of its 400-plus student-athletes participating in at least one community service activity. This is the third time Miami has captured the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition – the Hurricanes also took top honors in 2018 and 2022.
“We encourage a servant mindset at Miami, and I am immensely proud that our student-athletes captured another NCAA Team Works Community Service National Championship,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “They continue to raise the bar for our community service efforts thanks to the leadership and guidance of Shirelle Jackson and our student-athlete development staff.”
NCAA Team Works, which coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, and Helper Helper, a volunteer management and tracking platform, launched the community service competition to recognize student-athletes and schools who give back to their communities. This was the 10th year of the competition, which ran September 15 through December 15, 2024, and is based on the number of service hours completed and the number of participating student-athletes. Helper Helper tracks the school participation data throughout the competition.
Miami’s community service efforts during the 2024 Challenge included its Pen Pal program matching more than 150 student-athletes with students at local elementary schools; a Day of Giving where the football team provided Thanksgiving meals to the Miami-Dade Foster and Adoptive Parent Association; a community breast cancer awareness walk; and numerous trips to the Miami Rescue Mission to serve lunch.
“I am incredibly proud of the dedication our student-athletes show not only in competition but also in serving our community,” said Jackson, Miami’s Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development. “Volunteering provides them with a deeper sense of purpose, leadership, and connection beyond the playing field. It instills pride in knowing they are making a meaningful impact, reinforcing the values of teamwork, compassion, and responsibility I hope will stay with them long after their years at UM.
“I often say we are preparing our student-athletes for life after sport, and this accomplishment is a testament to our efforts and the student-athletes’ desire to serve.”
This year, student-athletes in Divisions I, II and III contributed a total of 210,288 hours of community service, an increase of nearly 7,000 hours from last year’s competition. According to Independent Sector’s research on the national value of volunteer time, their efforts generated an estimated $7.04 million impact in communities nationwide.
The student-athletes at Miami, Coker (Division II) and Oswego State (Division III) all will receive an award from the NCAA for winning the competition.
