SXU Communication Professor Speaks at Secretary of State Press Conference
Saint Xavier University (SXU) Director of Faculty Development and communication professor Cyndi Grobmeier recently spoke at a press conference held by the Illinois Secretary of State's Office to announce the launch of their LEAD Youth Service Learning-Program.
The conference was hosted by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and the Life Goes On Organ Donor Program at Walter Payton College Prep High School in Chicago. During the conference, students were introduced to the opportunity to become peer advocates for organ donation on their school campuses, and in the process, they developed leadership skills and earned service hour credit.
As president of the Maddog Strong Foundation, an organization dedicated to inspiring individuals to donate the gift of life to others and have the conversation, Grobmeier and her husband, Frank Grobmeier '92, spoke about their Teach Life curriculum, which is being used as the training program for the LEAD Program's peer leaders. The Teach Life curriculum is available free to educators to use in their classrooms to educate teens about organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Grobmeier spoke about the importance of educating teens on the life-saving topic and shared the story of their teen donor hero, their daughter, Maddie Grobmeier.
"Maddie was an advocate for organ donation, and when she suffered an acute asthma attack that took her life, she was able to save the lives of three people, give sight to two people, and change the lives of people all over the world with her gifts of her heart, liver, kidneys, corneas, and tissues. Maddie helped us recognize that when teens are asked if they want to register as an organ donor at the DMV, this may be one of the first major decisions they get to make about their own bodies, so it is important that their decision is an informed one fueled by facts, not fears. That is why we created the Teach Life Curriculum Program, and we are honored that the Secretary of State's Life Goes on Program is using it to train their peer advocates!" said Grobmeier.
As a communication professor, Grobmeier has mastered the art of public speaking but puts significant preparation into her speech planning, something she shares with her communication students.
"As we teach students in COMM-101, making sure you clearly communicate the most important messages to your audience, using tools like repetition and organization, are key in these types of public speaking situations. You cannot 'wing' something like this and expect to effectively reach your audiences -- preparation is key! I love opportunities like this to show our SXU students some of the ways they will use the communication skills they've learned in their own future personal and professional lives," said Grobmeier.
Grobmeier is a true representative of Saint Xavier's Mercy mission and makes a big impact in and out of the classroom.