Bridgewater, NJ — It's all about giving back to the community for Saint Francis U, and as a result, the Red Flash will have their name engraved on the plaque for the fourth time in the last six years. 
 
Reclaiming the throne in 2021-22, the Red Flash combined for the most community service hours to win the annual Northeast Conference (NEC) Building Communities Award for the second time in as many seasons. 
 
Presented by Insperity, the Building Communities Award was established in 2010 by the NEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as a means of recognizing the institution which demonstrates the highest dedication to making an impact in the community. 

"Saint Francis U's consistent commitment to service has resulted in a remarkable run over the past six years that features four Building Communities Awards," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris, who supported the establishment of the award at the start of the 2010-11 academic year. "NEC student-athletes are incredibly dedicated to making a difference and enhancing their local communities, I'm so proud of their continued collective commitment to service and giving back."
 
Saint Francis U, which accumulated a conference-high 6,838.5 service hours through the contributions of 510 student-athletes during the recently-completed academic year, scored 1,341 percentage points to win the conference-wide competition. The Red Flash averaged 13.41 community service hours per student-athlete.
 
But it didn't stop there. 
 
Red Flash student-athletes pulled off the SAAC community service triple crown for the second-straight year, and the third time since 2019. Saint Francis U hauled in a record-breaking 19,006 nonperishable food items to claim first place in the NEC SAAC Canned Food Drive before they retained their crown in the NEC SAAC Money Wars fundraiser to pull off the service trifecta once again. 

"We are beyond proud and appreciative of our student-athletes, coaches and institutional staff who continue to champion and support this important initiative that has a profound impact beyond athletics" said Saint Francis U Director of Athletics James Downer. "We are fortunate to be surrounded by a community with a genuine dedication towards giving back through their involvement in intercollegiate athletics. This recognition is truly an a honor as it speaks to the character of our department but promotes the goals of Franciscan Higher Education, an integral part of the foundation of Saint Francis University."
 
Saint Francis U has enjoyed a recent stretch of dominance in the aforementioned conference-wide SAAC competitions with first-place finishes in each of the last four years.

"It is an honor to once again be the recipient of the Northeast Conference's Building Communities Award," said John Krimmel, Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete and Leadership Development at Saint Francis U. "This is a testament to the outstanding work done by our student-athletes throughout the year to make a difference and show what it means to Become That Someone at Saint Francis University."  
 
Across the Division I conference's nine core member institutions, 5,085 student-athletes combined to donate over 25,000 hours to community service endeavors. 
 
FDU, the recipient of the Building Communities Award in 2020, averaged 12.38 hours of service per student-athlete to finish as this year's runner-up. Six-time winner Sacred Heart rounded out the top-three after the Pioneers' 1,177 student-athletes averaged 5.42 hours of service apiece for a total of 6,375 hours.    

"Our student-athletes are guided each day by the Goals of Franciscan Higher Education, which emphasizes the importance of service and embodying the example set forth by Saint Francis of Assisi," Krimmel added. "We are incredibly proud of the countless hours our student-athletes have put into becoming agents of change and making an impact here on campus, in the local community, across the country, and all over the world. While we appreciate the recognition of this distinguished award, we know that our student-athletes see the bigger picture and understand that we all rise by lifting up others."
 
NEC BUILDING COMMUNITIES AWARD HISTORY
2022-23: Saint Francis U
2021-22: Saint Francis U
2020-21: Not awarded due to COVID-19
2019-20: Fairleigh Dickinson
2018-19: Saint Francis U
2017-18: Saint Francis U
2016-17: Sacred Heart
2015-16: Sacred Heart
2014-15: St. Francis Brooklyn
2013-14: Sacred Heart
2012-13: Sacred Heart
2011-12: Sacred Heart
2010-11: Sacred Heart