Cook Receives ACC Top Six for Service Award

DURHAM, N.C. - Senior Quinn Cook was among the Duke student-athletes recently honored by the ACC with the league's Top Six for Service Award. The accolade is presented annually to six student-athletes from each conference institution who demonstrate outstanding dedication to community service and outreach programs. Duke's six recipients were recognized during the third annual Student-Athlete Talent and Recognition Show (STARS) last month.

Cook has remained involved in volunteer efforts throughout his Duke career. On multiple occasions, he spoke to school groups that visited Duke's campus. An excellent public orator, Cook has used his skill and platform to share experiences with younger students, especially in overcoming adversity.

Other recipients from Duke included Megan Clark (women's track and field), Phoebe Donovan (rowing), Jenna Frush (women's basketball), Chaz Hawkins (men's track and field) and all members of the field hockey team.

Clark, who also volunteers her time as a College Connections Mentor with the BKB Foundation, actively recruits and communicates service opportunities for her teammates to join her in. The junior out of Fort Benning, Ga., stays busy by volunteering her time with projects such as Read with the Blue Devils, Talk It Out and the Brogden Middle School Health & Wellness Fair.

Donovan has been involved in a variety of service events and is continually demonstrating a positive approach to helping others and making an impact. The Sydney, Australia, native has organized multiple team service activities and projects for this year's squad, including the eighth annual Row for the Cure. The fundraiser began in 2007 and is completely put on by the members of the Duke rowing program. The student-athletes collect donations from Duke students as well as members of the Durham community. The events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer research and awareness during their eight years.

Since her arrival on campus four years ago, Frush has been heavily involved in the Durham community. She has been an ACTION mentor for three years, SAAC member, Read with the Blue Devils volunteer, Talk it Out Campaign speaker, traveled to Durham Regent Independent Living Center, worked with the Durham Rehabilitation Center and spent time at Camp Kaleidoscope. A native of Durham, N.C., Frush also made visits to the Duke Children's hospital.

Hawkins always makes it a priority to participate in community service events. The Franklin, Tenn., native served as a College Connection Mentor for eighth graders who visited Duke from Washington, D.C., with the Brian K. Betts Foundation (BKB), which allows students from impoverished and violent communities the opportunity to visit universities on the East Coast. Hawkins also volunteers his time with the Oxford Housing Authority and its weekly visits in the fall.

During the past year, the field hockey program partnered with Team Impact and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The squad held a Friends of Jaclyn Day during one of their fall contests and most recently took part in the Angels Among Us 5K, which benefitted the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. Members of the team ran in support of friends Aaron and Brooke, who have been adopted by the program through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. In addition, the Blue Devils volunteered during the MLK Million Meals event over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and participated in the SAAC Project Share program.

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