Stanford student-athletes are well known for their academic prowess and their success in athletics competition, but the Cardinal Council is making a name for the student-athletes in a few new circles – on the stage and in the community.

The Cardinal Council – Stanford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee – has long been affiliated with Camp Kesem, a college student-run summer camp for kids with a parent who has battled cancer. The camp originally began at Stanford and now has branches in 14 states and affiliations with 20 different institutions.

The student-athletes annually sponsor and participate in a fund-raiser for the camp, and last month’s event raised $5,000 in less than two hours. Called the “Athlete Date Auction,” the event auctioned off a film-review session and dinner with football coach Jim Harbaugh and a game of dodge ball with basketball coach Trent Johnson among other “dates.”

“Many Stanford students are involved in the organization as counselors, and a donation of $5,000 makes a big difference in a small organization,” said junior Fiona O’Donnell-McCarthy, a member of Stanford’s women’s swimming and diving team.

As part of the fund-raiser, 14 of Stanford’s athletics teams performed in a takeoff of “America’s Next Top Model” called “Stanford’s Next Top Athlete.” Five members of the men’s tennis team serenaded the audience with a Green Day song while freshman Greg Hirshman solved Rubik’s Cube puzzles. The women’s swimming and diving and synchronized swimming teams performed a choreographed dance to a country song. Other teams lip synced, sang in their Speedos, performed their rendition of Moulin Rouge and rapped. Team members were then “auctioned” off to raise money.

Organizers believe the event has been going on for about five years, but this year’s was the most successful. Student-athletes used new technology to promote the program, creating a Web site, posting a promotional video on YouTube and using Facebook. Most importantly, the event was never mentioned without linking it to Camp Kesem and the higher purpose of both the Cardinal Council and the auction.

“This year’s group did a really good job working together,” said Cardinal Council staff liaison Cara Hanelin. “The whole group came together on all aspects of the event from advertising, soliciting teams for help, set-up, take-down and so on. This year, more people were involved and worked really hard to make it succeed.”

The Cardinal Council has three subcommittees that organize various events throughout the year: the community-service group runs the date auction, a food drive and a Youth Olympics in addition to other activities; the social subcommittee provides short entertainment during periods of high academic intensity and provides for a formal dance for student-athletes each spring; and the student-athlete well-being group works on projects to improve the experience of student-athletes, including developing forms to communicate better with professors and studying the use of the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund.

“Ultimately, we ask for the entire Cardinal Council to help with each event or study,” Hanelin said.