Jim Stephan

Director of Athletic Communications at Belmont Abbey College, just outside Charlotte, N.C.; LA sports fan. I also love to cook and eat!

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Had the opportunity to represent @abbeycctracktri this morning at the #cscunite26 2-mile walk. Great opportunity to raise money for @SpecialOlympics

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Didn't make it out to the Honolulu for the @NCAAMVB regional in May but happy to catch up with my counterparts from @HawaiiAthletics and @USC_Athletics at #CSCUnite26

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

I signed up for the 2026 CSC 5k Fun Run / 2 mile Walk on Jun 8, 2026! https://t.co/NjDV4Ch2zU

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

@MrsHopkins96 Almost like Division II Day being 2/22

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

@Bundesliga_EN my first European football match and its my favorite team. Would be watching on @espn but I'm here! #effzah #KOEFCSP

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

@fckoeln_en Happy to come from USA to see today's match #effzeh

[1. FC Cologne @fckoeln_en]

🔴⚪️ MATCHDAY! ⚪️🔴

Back in Müngersdorf, back to business! Big one against FC St. Pauli today! 💪
___
#KOEFCSP #effzeh

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

There is a lesson in this! Amazing story about small acts.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.

Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.

One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.

Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.

Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"

"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."

He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."

The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."

Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.

But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,

"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."

So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.

Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."

Let this story reach more hearts....

Credit: Mary Nelson

[Abbey Athletics #RaisetheRed @abbeyathletics]

CSC Appreciation Week! 🎙️

This week, we proudly celebrate Jim Stephan and Tony Venegas for their outstanding service to Abbey Athletics. Their commitment to storytelling, coverage, and communication ensures that every Crusader’s achievement is celebrated across our community.

[College Sports Communicators @CollSportsComm]

What an amazing duo! @abbeyathletics shining a light on CSC members Jim Stephan (@jimsohio) and Tony Venegas (@TVenegasBAC) 🙌

DYK? Jim serves on the CSC Professional Development and Continuing Education Committee and Tony serves on the Inclusion Committee.

@diisida @ConfCarolinas @BelmontAbbey

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

All set up and ready to see #biketoberfest by @Sustain_CLT riders. I'm @WoodenRobotAle in South End for my eighth year volunteering.

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Learn a language with me for free! Duolingo is fun, and proven to work. Here’s my invite link: https://t.co/T3BLVnKMJ0

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Wonder what's going on? AA720 from Charlotte to Rome https://t.co/O7RC7FBTXt @wcnc @wbtv

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Great to spend time with @CollSportsComm folks at the @KnightsBaseball game tonight.

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

@CLTAirport @Inter @FIFACWC No worries!

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Always love seeing unique visitors to @CLTAirport. Arrived from IAH to take @Inter home to Milan after the @FIFACWC .

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

@wjpaquette @BIGEAST @CollSportsComm Thanks for all you have done for @CollSportsComm and for college athletics. Enjoy your retirement!

[Jim Stephan @jimsohio]

Learn a language with me for free! Duolingo is fun, and proven to work. Here’s my invite link: https://t.co/T3BLVnKMJ0

[College Sports Communicators @CollSportsComm]

Congratulations to the 2025 25-Year Award recipients! #CSCUnite25

[Conference Carolinas @ConfCarolinas]

As #CSCUnite25 concludes today, 10 individuals from five member institutions and the conference office spent the week learning and connecting in Orlando.

#LeadingTheWay