Minot State SAAC partners with Make-A-Wish for pie-in-the-face fundraiser

MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is partnering with Make-A-Wish to do a pie-in-the-face fundraiser on campus on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., in the MSU Beaver Dam.

Students and employees will have the opportunity to donate by purchasing a pie ($2 for students / $5 for employees and the general public) and selecting who they want to receive a pie in the face. To see a complete list of MSU employees participating and for more information, see the attached POSTER.

Minot State's Mallory Hoogensen, MSU SAAC president, is the creator of the initiative at MSU. She found inspiration for a unique approach to the NCAA Division II's partnership with Make-A-Wish during the SAAC Summit.

“We wanted to do something new this academic year for our Make-A-Wish fundraising efforts,” she said. “In the past, our fundraising has consisted almost entirely of 50/50 raffle tickets at men’s and women’s hockey games. This past summer at the SAAC Summit, attendees brainstormed ways to raise money for this amazing organization.

“I remembered seeing something on social media about a fundraiser at a different university where they did an event that is very similar to what we are putting on in December. After bouncing this idea off SAAC reps from other NSIC institutions, I decided that this would be an amazing opportunity for not only our SAAC to get all athletes involved, but also our whole campus community.”

A total of 18 faculty, staff, and coaches have signed up for 30-minute time slots, with three participants per time slot. Along with the overall fundraiser, there will also be a friendly competition between participants, with a winner announced for each time slot and an overall winner.

“By having representation from both athletic and academic faculty, we aim to bridge the gap between these two sides of campus to support a cause that is bigger than ourselves,” Hoogensen added.

Amanda Godfread, chief philanthropy officer for Make-A-Wish North Dakota, will be on campus as well, and Godfread is planning to have a wish kid present to throw the first pie. Division II raised nearly $270,000 in the 2024-25 academic year and nearly $70,000 more than in the 2023-24 academic year. 

According to Hoogensen, SAAC aims to raise $700 for Make-A-Wish during the event, pairing this fundraiser with four major initiatives SAAC and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) sponsor each year.

“Minot State SAAC and the NSIC have four initiatives each year: Wellness and Belonging, It’s a Slam Dunk Don’t Drive Drunk, Green Bandana Project/Mental Health Awareness, and Life After Collegiate Athletics,” Hoogensen said. “On top of these initiatives, NCAA DII and the NSIC are partners with Make-A-Wish, where student-athletes get the opportunity to raise money to fund wishes across the United States. Student-athletes at any campus can use their platform to make a difference in their community and support those going through something unimaginable.

“The work that we do as members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, on campus or within Minot, can reach Make-A-Wish children across the nation.”

Since 2003, Division II schools have donated more than $7 million to Make-A-Wish and helped grant over 700 wishes for children with critical illnesses. For more information on DII and Make-A-Wish, see the NCAA DII WEBSITE.