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CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee
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Communicators Outside the Lines Feature Series
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.
Weghorst (right) with Ryan Davis at the 2016 CoSIDA
Community Service event.
Q&A with Greg Weghorst
Keeper of the Game Foundation
by Ryan Davis, Assistant Commissioner for Communications, Missouri Valley Conference
CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee
Greg Weghorst is a former SID and proud member of CoSIDA who served as the Assistant Commissioner of the American Southwest Conference for a seven-year span. Weghorst now serves as a Communications Coordinator for one of the largest school districts in Texas and is the Vice President of Communications for
Keeper of The Game, a non-profit organization CoSIDA served during the convention down in Dallas in 2016.
Q: In the summer of 2016, the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee partnered with Keeper of the Game at the CoSIDA Convention in Dallas. Can you give us an update on what Keeper of the Game has been up to since we left Dallas?
WEGHORST: That was a great four days for Keeper of The Game and a partnership we are grateful to still have to this day. Since that summer we have continued to provide memorable experiences for children with special needs and disabilities through baseball. We have seen our support grow tremendously around the country. CoSIDA has played a major role in that.
Q: At that event in Dallas, CoSIDA donated just over $9,000 dollars to Keeper of the Game. What were some things that Keeper was able to do with those funds and how many kids benefited from our service project efforts?
WEGHORST: The amount of funds raised, as well as the volunteer hours put in, by CoSIDA and Young CoSIDA was incredible. The donation total remains the largest single fundraiser we have ever had. Because of that generosity, we were able to touch countless numbers of lives. We provided game balls to numerous adaptive leagues across the country, treated a special needs athlete and his family to their first Major League baseball game, purchased a stroller for a family to get to and from baseball games, equipped a special needs college baseball coach with Keeper of The Game and coaching gear and hosted three Miracle League athletes and their families for all-access Minor League game experiences.
Q: You currently work as a Communications Coordinator for one of the largest school districts in Texas. How did your time as an SID prepare you for this step in your career?
WEGHORST: Without a doubt, I use skills I obtained from my time as American Southwest Conference (ASC) Assistant Commissioner and working in the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Sports Information office as a college intern for Jon Wallin every single day. It is all about communication, taking care of people and always getting the job done no matter what. I love promoting students, teachers and principals the same way I did for student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
Q: What Sports Information services are you still involved in after leaving your post at the American Southwest Conference?
WEGHORST: I just wrapped up my 12th season as official scorer of the University of Texas at Dallas men’s and women’s basketball teams. I also do the scorebook for the Lone Star Conference Basketball Championships and assist with the league’s social media efforts and game stories for the Lone Star Football Festival at AT&T Stadium. I am thankful to the great folks at those places for providing me opportunities to stay involved in collegiate athletics.
Q: What are some of your fond memories of CoSIDA and what do you miss the most being involved with the organization daily?
WEGHORST: Attending CoSIDA 2012 in St. Louis was the best. It is the home of my good friend Ryan Davis, who worked as Assistant Commissioner for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference at the time (now he is at the Missouri Valley Conference and not to mention, was an integral part of the CoSIDA-Keeper of The Game partnership formation). He served as a host to me and a good amount of ASC SIDs during the week. It was a great conference and extremely beneficial for the careers of all those who attended. I also remember meeting the late, great Dick Enberg there and attending a Q&A session with Ozzie Smith at Busch Stadium. As far as what I miss the most about the profession every day? That’s easy. It is the people. School and conference SIDs are some of the best and hardest-working people I know.
Q: What advice do you have for SIDs that may want to get involved with community initiatives?
WEGHORST: Do it. Volunteering your time and helping make a difference in someone’s life is a feeling that cannot be described. Even if it is not Keeper of The Game, there are plenty of opportunities to give back through sports – something everyone in the profession enjoys. I know getting involved with Keeper of The Game has made a huge impact on my family. My wife, Casey, and our children look forward to volunteering at our Keeper of The Game events, especially skills clinics close to our home at The Miracle League of Frisco (Texas). If you aren’t sure how to give back in your area or want to create a way to do so, let anyone at Keeper of The Game know and we would be happy to point you in the right direction.
Be Part of the 2018 Community Service at #CoSIDA18 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
This year the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee is partnering with
Martha’s Table to help feed local families in need in the Washington D.C. area. The event will be held on site at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center from 2:15-4:15 PM on Wednesday, June 27.
This will be the first time the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee has worked with Martha’s Table for the annual community service project.
Anyone attending the CoSIDA Convention is welcome to participate in the community service project during the two-hour window on June 27. Volunteers can come by the service location and help make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and trail mix packages that will later be donated to and distributed by Martha’s Table. No prior registration will be needed. Convention attendees are also encouraged to bring product to donate (peanut butter, jelly, bread, sandwich bags, etc.).
For over 37 years, Martha’s Table has worked to support stronger children, stronger families, and stronger communities by increasing access to quality education programs, healthy food, and family supports. Every night, their mobile food truck, McKenna’s Wagon, rolls out to serve hundreds of homeless and hungry neighbors a hot meal, fresh fruit, trail mix, and sandwiches.
Learn more.
Click here to learn more about CoSIDA's Goodwill and Wellness initiatives and find out how YOU can get involved.