This is the next profile Q and A in a series entitled
Communicators Outside the Lines: Better Yourself, Better Your Community produced by the CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee. Read past profiles at
CoSIDA.com/CommunicatorsOTL.
HAVE IDEAS OR MEMBERS TO NOMINATE FOR THIS SERIES?
If you have any ideas for this series, which will revolve around CoSIDA member volunteerism and health and wellness, please contact Goodwill and Wellness Committee chair
Chris Mitchell, Washington University in St. Louis Assistant AD for Communications, at (618) 560-9280 or
mitchell@wustl.edu.
Q&A with Michael Teague
Formerly Assistant Director of Media Relations, NJCAA
by Megan Hardin, Sports Information Director, Southwestern University
CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee
Teague (top right) with the Keeper of the Game Community Service
Group at the 2016 CoSIDA Convention.
“Losing yourself in the service of others is simply the best way take a step back and reassess what is important in life.” – Michael Teague
That is exactly what the NJCAA’s Assistant Director of Media Relations Michael Teague did during last year’s volunteer opportunity at the CoSIDA Convention in Dallas. Teague’s experience with the Keeper of the Game placed a new calling on his heart, spurring him to get more involved in his community and create a safer world.
Teague will be leaving NJCAA to follow his new passion and while we are sad to lose such a talented individual in our profession, his journey is an inspiration and shows the invaluable impact volunteering has on all involved.
Q. Who are you going to work for and how did you decide to get involved with them?
TEAGUE: I’m joining the staff at the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence where I will serve as the Communications Coordinator for a new statewide social awareness campaign — Stand Up Colorado. This new position is going to provide me with the opportunity to work full-time towards creating a strong community, well-informed society and violence-free culture.
Although we all understand that domestic violence is still a major issue today, I don’t think we realize just how prevalent it is. In the United States, 1-in-3 women and 1-in-4 men have experienced physical abuse by an intimate partner. Every day in our country, three women are killed as a result of domestic violence. These numbers are not only staggering, but are simply unacceptable in the greatest nation in the world. That is why I decided to dedicate my time and efforts towards this cause.
Having loved college sports since before I could read, stepping away was by far the most difficult decision of my life. That being said, I look ahead with absolute confidence because of this new mission and the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Q. Was there a defining moment where you knew you needed to get more involved?
TEAGUE: Absolutely. That defining moment came during last year’s CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee Service Project when we volunteered with The Miracle League of Frisco (Texas). The few hours that we spent playing and watching baseball with kids with special needs were some of the most rewarding in my life. When I got back to the hotel room, I started looking at Special Olympics Colorado and saw they were starting a young professionals board. I immediately signed up, became a founding member and now serve as chair of the Marketing Committee. What began in Dallas and continued in Denver gave me a new perspective on life.
The CoSIDA Service Project was eye-opening as it provided me with a feeling that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. It was this feeling that would later inspire me to seek out a career where I could dedicate my life to helping those in need and creating a culture that treats everyone equally regardless of gender, race, age, national origin, sexuality, disability or any other difference between us.
Q. What advice would you give to others about volunteering?
TEAGUE: I think in today’s society – especially in this profession – we get so caught up with our jobs that we sometimes lose sight of ourselves. Losing yourself in the service of others is simply the best way take a step back and reassess what is important in life. If you ever feel lost or confused or overwhelmed, find something you can do to make your community a better place. Even if it’s just for a couple of hours one day, it’ll be an incredibly cathartic experience that will help you find yourself again.
My other piece of advice is to find something you care about – whether its kids, the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless, people with disabilities, animals, the environment, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, discrimination, veterans, substance abuse or one of the hundreds of other areas where you can make a positive impact. If everyone pitches in to address the countless problems that we face as a society, we really can make the world a better place.
Q. Tell us more about your new position and what others can do to help.
TEAGUE: The Stand Up Colorado campaign will be one of the first of its kind in the United States as it takes a different approach towards addressing domestic violence. Modeled after a program in New Zealand that experienced dramatic success, Stand Up Colorado will provide assistance to survivors of intimate-partner abuse but will also take a proactive approach by aiming to get help for people who are committing or may commit acts of domestic violence. We will strive to communicate that acts of violence are not okay, but getting help is.
The other primary goal of the campaign — and one that all of us can work to achieve — is changing our culture. Together, we can build a civilization that recognizes domestic violence not as a personal issue or women’s issue but a societal one that we must all address. If you want to help make a difference, it’s not easy but it is simple. Stand up and speak out against all forms of violence in our culture, communities and daily lives. That is how true change is achieved.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
TEAGUE: I want to sincerely thank CoSIDA Past President Judy Willson, Goodwill & Wellness Committee Chair Chris Mitchell, my colleagues in the Two-Year College Sports Information Directors of America (2ySIDA) and all of the CoSIDA staff, panelists and speakers. Your willingness to selflessly help others further their careers is unparalleled and made me not only a better professional, but a better person. Any success I experience in the future will be thanks to you and I’ll never forget that.
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