'Tis the season of giving, and Northwestern State Athletics is seeking support for the Demons Unlimited Foundation's "$1 Million Mission" which concludes on June 30. Shown (l-r) are assistant athletic director Haley Blount, a former NSU pole vaulter; Demon baseball junior infielder Regan Kaufman, a St. Mary's High School product; Natchitoches Central alumnus De'Mard Llorens, a sophomore running back for the Demon football team, receiving a donation from Santa Claus; junior high jumper and 2014 Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship Award winner Quinton Helaire, an NCHS grad; and 2014 NCHS alumnus Taylor Alexander, a freshman infielder on the Lady Demon softball team. With NSU Athletics, Natchitoches is one of only 271 cities in the country that are home to a NCAA Division I sports program.
 
It's said a journey of a million miles begins with a small step.
 
Northwestern State Athletics is already many strides down the road of a "$1 Million Mission" to generate private support for scholarships, travel and more basic expenses supporting NSU student-athletes and coaches for the 2014-15 year.
 
The Demons Unlimited Foundation, formerly the NSU Athletic Association and Demon Victory Fund, is the official fund raising entity for NSU Athletics. DUF members and leaders, including the volunteer board of directors, have already passed the halfway point of the target since the "$1 Million Mission" began quietly this summer.
 
The push for donations at all levels comes at a time of unprecedented achievement by teams and student-athletes at Northwestern State.  A championship culture has developed throughout the NSU athletic program.
 
In a 21-month period dating back to March 2013, seven NSU teams have won Southland Conference titles, and five have made NCAA Tournament appearances.  In addition, six track and field athletes have captured All-America honors via top 16 finishes at NCAA Championships.
 
Academic achievement by the nearly 400 student-athletes at Northwestern State is simply remarkable. NSU competitors posted a cumulative 2.95 grade point average in spring 2014, best since those marks began being compiled late last century. Several NSU sports rank at or near the top among Southland Conference and state institutions in annual NCAA academic ratings, and men's basketball and women's soccer have earned national honors.
 
NSU's student-athletes, coaches and staff uphold a longstanding tradition of participating in extensive community service. In the 2013-14 school year, NSU Athletics posted well over 6,000 hours of service work benefitting an array of local causes, along with some regional, national and even global organizations.
 
"Many factors contribute to having a winning athletic program.  At NSU, we are blessed to have a quality group of head coaches, dedicated and hard-working staff, and strong support from within and outside of the university," said veteran director of athletics Greg Burke.
 
"Resource acquisition is just as critical to the accomplishments of our teams and the Demons Unlimited Foundation plays a major role in positioning our coaches and student-athletes for success," he said.  "The funds raised through the Demons Unlimited Foundation are not allocated for 'extras' but rather, underwrite basic operating costs for every sport.  In other words, the Athletic Department has committed these expenses to each team and must now secure donations to underwrite them."
 
Severe state budget cuts to Louisiana higher education since 2008 have made broadening the base of support increasingly vital.  Tuition hikes over that period of time have raised the scholarship bill the athletic department must pay by over $1 million.  Yet, NSU Athletics has upheld its commitment to offering the full complement of scholarships permitted under NCAA guidelines.
 
"The '$1 Million Mission' is not a push for a miracle. It is a drive that must be fulfilled in order for NSU's teams to remain competitive against schools with larger athletic budgets," said Mike Newton, vice-president of the Demons Unlimited Foundation board of directors and president of Exchange Bank in Natchitoches.
 
"We're reaching out to attract more donors at all levels in support of these outstanding Demons and Lady Demons representing our university and community. Our strength is in numbers."