TUCSON, Ariz. -- The 2022 Wildcats Vote campaign concluded with Civic Engagement Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8, a day designated by the NCAA to encourage increased support and activities around voting among student-athletes and allowing conferences, institutions, and teams a day dedicated to practice civic engagement in various ways.
 
At Arizona, 11 Wildcats volunteered at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, where they helped pack over 440 food boxes weighing over 14,000 pounds for local Tucson community members. Allie Skaggs (Softball) and Tyler Casagrande (Baseball) also headlined an all-star panel discussion, "You Voted, Now What? What does Civic Engagement Look Like Year-Round". During this engaging conversation, panelists shared their diverse experiences with civic engagement. Skaggs discussed her experiences encompassing social responsibility and leadership, including serving as chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Community Service subcommittee. This group plans monthly community service events for all students to participate in.
 
 "Civic engagement is both a responsibility and an opportunity for us every day as student-athletes," Skaggs said. She has also used her platform to advocate for causes that are important to her, including mental health.
 
Tyler Casagrande discussed his passion for serving others in many capacities, including his giving. When Name, Image, and Likeness Legislation was announced, Casagrande started a t-shirt company that became highly successful. As a result, in October 2021, he donated $10,000 to Banner-UMC Diamonds Children's Medical Center to support children fighting cancer. Casagrande got to choose how his donation would be allocated. After touring the hospital and its facilities, he decided the donation would go towards birthday presents for children and gas money to the patient's families to transport them to various appointments.
 
 
"NIL and civic engagement can go hand-in-hand. Make it something bigger than yourself," he said of his NIL endeavors.
 
The Inclusive Excellence Council developed the Wildcats Vote campaign in 2020 with a focus on education, promotion, and celebration of student-athletes participating in the civic engagement process. This year, the campaign utilized social media, town hall discussions, and community outreach opportunities to create an environment that produces engaged and informed student-athletes empowered to participate in the civic process.
 
"The Wildcats Vote campaign was a collective effort spearheaded by the C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development department and Inclusive Excellence Council Student Engagement subcommittee," said Assistant Director of C.A.T.S Student-Athlete Development Jasmin Wooten. "We wanted to find engaging ways to demystify the voting process and provide tangible examples of how students can be involved and play an active role in their community year-round.  It was extremely rewarding to see students who were passionate about voting and civic engagement as a whole champion the campaign. Some of these individuals served as Wildcats Vote Ambassadors, taking on a leadership role to empower their teammates to be engaged by sharing resources and attending different educational programs and events."
 
 
In addition to Civic Engagement Day and the 35 Wildcats Vote Ambassadors, there were two voter registration drives and a Know the Facts About Your Vote Town Hall, which included representatives from Arizona Athletics (Reggie Geary), the Players Coalition (Dr. Chelsea Heyward and Lori Lord), the Pima County Recorder (Gabriella Casarez-Kelly), and the President of League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson (Nancy Hand) this fall.