Joe Morgan | Special to the TimesUniversity of Georgia receiver, and former Valdosta High great, Malcolm Mitchell catches a pass during a game againstLouisiana-Monroe on Sept. 5 at Sanford Stadium.

ATHENS — Malcolm Mitchell has made his share of plays in a Georgia uniform. The senior receiver and former Valdosta High star has made crucial plays between the hedges at Sanford Stadium, but perhaps the most important plays of his collegiate career haven’t come under the lights of a Saturday afternoon in the fall.

Maybe they have come during the times between the grind of football and university classes.

On Thursday, Mitchell was presented with the Haier Achievement Award, an honor presented to student-athletes for accomplishments made beyond athletics, for his humanitarianism.

“It is an honor to receive the Haier Achievement Award,” Mitchell said. “Reading has truly reshaped my life in such a positive way. It has helped me begin to achieve all of my goals and dreams off the field, and to be able to spread that message to kids has been a great opportunity. I want to thank this group for giving me this award and look forward to continuing what I have started.”

Mitchell was this year’s third recipient of the award.

“It just showed me that I wasn’t defined by the game I played and that other opportunities are out there,” he added following Saturday’s 23-17 overtime win against Georgia Southern.

The Valdosta native has made efforts to encourage the community around him to share in his love for reading and learning on top of supporting numerous community service initiatives.

“Malcolm cares about people, and he has done a good job of bringing reading to the attention of a lot of people, mostly children,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “Malcolm believes doing great things for the community is important and I think that is a very important trait of his. He is very deserving of a great honor like this.”

Mitchell, a Communication Studies major at UGA, is a member of an Athens-area book club, makes regular visits to read at elementary schools, and authored his own children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat.”

He also has a website to help further his mission. ReadWithMalcolm.com features a brief introduction by Mitchell, plus pictures, videos and other news about his educational endeavors. The quote, “The only boundaries are those we create for ourselves,” is displayed across the website’s homepage and embodies the way Mitchell feels about his own life.

Haier will officially recognize Mitchell with an on-court presentation at the Georgia-Kansas State men’s basketball game December 4. In addition to awarding him with a plaque, Haier will donate $2,000 to the UGA general scholarship fund and award a Haier 48-inch LED high-definition TV to the school’s athletic department.

“The Haier Achievement Award program brings to light those student-athletes who have achieved success beyond sports,” said John Homlish, senior vice president and business unit leader of digital living for Haier America. “By recognizing eight inspiring student-athletes like Malcolm throughout the year, we hope to further motivate other young people to achieve and succeed both on and off the field. We commend Malcolm for being a model student-athlete on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”

Mitchell has also been honored this year with the 2015 UGA Hornsby Howell Community Service Award and is one of 11 NCAA FBS players to be selected to the 2015 Allstate AFCA National Good Works Team, based on a commitment to community assistance. Mitchell is one of 10 Georgia selections to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team since the Richt era began in 2001.