There is a line in the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) mission statement that reads: The purpose of this organization is to empower its members in their roles as sports information professionals.
Sometimes empowering individuals takes the form of stepping out of the professional realm and dealing with personal aspects of someone's life, and that is what CoSIDA as a whole did with the organization's hurricane relief efforts for its members.
As a group, 93 CoSIDA members donated $8,645, and the organization put in a $44,355 for a total of $53,000 for the relief effort to help members affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The $53,000 was used to benefit CoSIDA members directly.
Said organization President, Joe Hernandez of Ball State University, "CoSIDA has always been an organization built on relationships. The fact that our members were more than willing to step up and help those in need was very gratifying. There is no greater feeling than being a part of a team, and the teamwork CoSIDA showed for those in need was outstanding. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the hurricanes, and we hope all the people will be able to recover from these disasters."
Initially, CoSIDA was able to help its members by giving them gift cards to Target stores shortly after the disaster occurred to aid with the needs of day-to-day life like clothing and personal items. The donation of the gift cards was in addition to the $53,000 amount raised.
CoSIDA then followed the donation of gifts cards with a cash donation for its members that they could use as they personally saw fit on their road to recovery.
No one could have ever told me that something so devastating could affect me in my lifetime, said Bambi Hall, former sports information director at Xavier University (La.). Fortunately, Im better off than most, and thanks to CoSIDA, Im better off than I thought Id be as the New Year begins.
The funds have kept Hall afloat as she fled to her hometown of Houston, Texas. Her CoSIDA grant has paid for much needed car repairs, paying student loans and keeping things going while she searches for a new job.
John Sudsbury, assistant director of media relations at Tulane, has had to use very little of his CoSIDA grant. Since their departments return to New Orleans at the beginning of January, Sudsbury has been able to move into an apartment near campus, which he share with the departments director of facilities.
Sudsbury lived in a ground floor apartment near the Tulane campus, which was inundated by three feet of water during the storm. He lost most of his possessions. My roommates actually rode the storm out and were able to save some things, a couple of pieces of furniture and my suits, he said.
Sudsbury, who is single, has spent most of his post-Katrina time living the nomadic life that has punctuated the Green Waves existence during the fall. He spent time in Dallas and was stationed with their football team at Texas A&M University and also spent some time in Ruston, La.
With a return to New Orleans, the extra cash that CoSIDA members contributed provides an added sense of security. My rent did double, so its probably going towards that without me knowing it, Sudsbury said. I am without a car as well, so I will be looking into that.
The assistance of CoSIDA has lifted a big weight off my shoulders. It has proven that there is still a lot of good out there in people.
STARTING OVER
Whether or not they lost homes and property in the wake of the storms, many in the sports information community are having to adjust to life with reduced athletic programs, limited resources and, in some cases, a search for a new job.
We all know that our job descriptions may be radically different, said Donna Turner, assistant athletic director for communications at Tulane. My staff and I will be taking on marketing plus who knows what else. We have to concentrate on going forward. The city has a lot of challenges ahead of it and so does Tulane and Tulane Athletics.
Despite the recent decision to suspend most spring athletic programs, those with the Green Wave are the lucky ones. Many smaller schools in the New Orleans area suspended their athletic programs for the entire season. And some may not restart their programs for some time.
Hall found herself in such a position. Exactly two years and a day after she started at Xavier, the school elected to suspend its athletic program because of the hurricane. Since then, Hall has relocated to Houston where she has benefited from the generosity of friends and former employers to keep her on her feet. She hopes to return to Xavier at some point, but must pursue other positions to gain some stability.
I dont know what the future holds, but there are many possibilities, Hall said.
For Jason Plodkin, Hurricane Katrina provided a rude introduction. Hired as the first sports information director in Dillard Universitys history, Plodkin found himself out of a job after only two weeks.
On Friday I was watching volleyball practice, and woke up Saturday morning to find the storm coming our way, Plodkin said. Basically, I got the job, went to New Orleans and then came right back home to Houston. I hadnt spent this much time at home since I was a senior in high school.
Like Xavier, Dillard suffered significant damage to building on campus, despite the fact that the school on the west side of New Orleans was on the trailing edge of the storm. Classes were suspended for the fall and the entire university set up shop in Atlanta for the spring semester.
The relocation, however, did not include athletics. Plodkin was released in October and has been living with his parents while looking for a new job.
Thankfully, Plodkin did not lose more than his job. His second floor apartment was virtually untouched and he brought his most important items, a computer and important documents, back to Houston. The rest remains in New Orleans, waiting for pickup.
Since his exodus, Plodkin has found himself the beneficiary of the kindness of the Houston sports information community. Texas Southern University contracted Plodkin to keep statistics for the 2005 volleyball season, and he has also filled in at the University of Houston. His former boss at Sam Houston State, Paul Ridings, used Plodkin for both volleyball and football and gave him first shot at some other paying jobs.
It is helpful that sports information people in general are always accepting of additional help, Plodkin said. And Paul was a big help, especially since I didnt know when the check from Dillard would come.
Within the sports information community, lending a helping hand is a way of life. And when it came to helping colleagues through one of the toughest times of their lives, it restored faith not only in the rewards of a demanding profession, but the state of the world in general.
The most valuable lesson learned has been how good people really are, Sudsbury said. We hear so much about the good people being gone from todays society, but I can assure you that is not true.
When you join professional groups, you seldom hear about that they do for you, only what you can do for them. Never let it be said that we dont work as hard for our members as they work for us, Hall said.