CoSIDA announces its new
Volunteer 15 program, developed and managed by the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee. The program was unveiled at the 2014 CoSIDA Convention which took place at the World Center Marriott in Orlando.
The CoSIDA Volunteer 15 program is an initiative to get CoSIDA members more involved in their communities. CoSIDA members promote the great civic works done by their athletics teams but there is no promotion, or very little, about CoSIDA members doing community service either with these teams or independently. The CoSIDA Volunteer 15 program is designed to help promote the great efforts and success our members have in their communities. CoSIDA members are encouraged to volunteer at least 15 hours of community service during the 2014-15 school year.
CoSIDA has set up a special email address -
volunteer@cosida.com - for members to use throughout the Volunteer 15 program.
Click here to access the CoSIDA VOLUNTEER 15 description and service log: PDF
CoSIDA members who complete the Volunteer 15 program will be recognized three different ways:
• each participants name, school and/or affiliation and division will be listed on the official CoSIDA Volunteer 15 web page in late May of 2015
• an official CoSIDA Volunteer 15 certificate will be available for download in late May of 2015
• and, at the 2015 CoSIDA Convention, all participants who completed the CoSIDA Volunteer 15 program will be recognized during the June 17th Special Awards Luncheon at the CoSIDA Convention
“We wanted a program that would recognize all of the great civic work our CoSIDA members do on their campus and in their communities,” said Sam Atkinson, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and chair of the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee. “We believe the Volunteer 15 program will help show University and athletic administrations the valuable contributions Sports Information Directors can make outside of the office and in the community.”
There are many ways to volunteer and accumulate service hours. Your volunteer work is not limited to your campus or place of employment. Volunteering your time in your community is an excellent way to get involved.
Examples of how to volunteer your time in your community include, but not limited to, a local food bank, homeless shelter, a non-profit organization, religious establishment, senior center, etc. No compensation should be taken or expected for your volunteer hours.
Examples of how to get involved on your campus include volunteering with service organizations or clubs, organizing a service project with your athletics department or sports information office, go with your athletic teams when they do community service and get involved in the activity (not just taking photos) but doing the work as well.
“We hope the CoSIDA membership embraces the Volunteer 15 program this year. This is a chance for CoSIDA to become a leader in athletics when it comes to community service,” said Atkinson. “For some, volunteering comes naturally while for others this program may be an incentive to get them active. Either way, the end result is helping out others that need our help and time.”
If you have questions about the Volunteer 15 program please email Atkinson at
sam.atkinson@gallaudet.edu.
All completed CoSIDA Volunteer 15 forms should be emailed to volunteer@cosida.com.