Edison, N.J. (Oct. 3, 2019) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), in conjunction with the Atlantic City Board of Education, is proud to announce the commencement of the "MAAC Gives Back" community outreach program in Atlantic City. This year-round program pairs Atlantic City students with women's and men's basketball student-athletes and coaches from the 11 MAAC core member institutions.
The MAAC Basketball Championships, will be played at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City from March 10-14, 2020. This five-day event will feature the league basketball championships, ESports Championship, MAAC Fan Fest, MAAC Band Jam, MAAC 'n Cheese Fest, Spirit Squad Showcase and much more.
The 26
th annual "MAAC Gives Back" community outreach program includes curriculum involving reading, writing, statistics, geography, art projects and related subjects. Teachers use the program to motivate students and stress the importance of sports, team activities, doing well in school and good decision-making. Along with the popular "pen pal" program, there is also a MAAC Essay Contest for first-to-fourth grades and fifth-to eighth grades. Winners will read their essay at the MAAC Post-Season Awards Show in Atlantic City and their essays will be published in the event game program. In addition, both winners will be recognized at center court at halftime of a tournament game. Artwork will focus on developing tournament posters that will be featured during the championship.
"We are excited about the 'MAAC Gives Back' partnership with the Atlantic City Board of Education and look forward to the positive impact this will have on the students and our collegiate student-athletes," said Richard J. Ensor, Esq., MAAC Commissioner. "Our basketball championships will be played at Boardwalk Hall for at least the next three years and we look forward to creating meaningful partnerships such as this in the Atlantic City community and throughout South Jersey."
The partnership with the Atlantic City Board of Education kicks off on Friday, Oct. 4 when Saint Peter's University women's basketball head coach Marc Mitchell, former NBA first-round draft pick and Saint Peter's men's basketball assistant coach John Morton and Saint Peter's players visit the Texas Avenue School.
"A major focus of the 'MAAC Gives Back' program will be the 'Readers Become Leaders' partnership between the Atlantic City Board of Education and the MAAC," said Barry Caldwell, Superintendent of Schools, Atlantic City School District. Mariann C. Storr, Atlantic City School District ELA Teacher Coordinator Grades 3-8, "The MAAC represents the best in college athletics, top-level basketball with a record of high graduation rates. Their commitment to the reading program and the district's 'Never Be Absent' program is key messaging for our students to hear from coaches and student-athletes who are their role models."
Students will also attend a MAAC Basketball Championship game and listen to a guest speaker on topics such as leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The classrooms will also be invited to participate in Bounce on the Boardwalk, where the students will be given MAAC basketballs and will bounce down the Atlantic City boardwalk to the games at Boardwalk Hall.
For more information on "MAAC Gives Back", please contact Harold Bentley III, Director of Championships, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, at (732) 738-5455 Ext. 112 or
harold.bentley@maac.org. For all press inquiries, please contact Elyse Appelblatt, Director of New Media/Communications, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, at Ext. 201 or,
elyse.appelblatt@maac.org.
The below is a list of Atlantic City schools and their respective MAAC "pen pal":
All-session tickets are on-sale now at
BoardwalkHall.com for the 2020 MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships. Individual session tickets will go on sale in December.
About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority:
The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit
www.njcrda.com. Follow us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/njcrda and Twitter at
www.twitter.com/njcrda
About the 2020 MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships:
The MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships return to New Jersey on March 10-14, 2020 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. To stay up to date on MAAC basketball, visit
http://maacsports.com/basketball and follow
@MAACHoops on Twitter.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.