A group of six Belmont High School student-athletes who are passionate about mental health awareness want to expand their inclusive community.
With a handful of successful events and biweekly meetings this school year, Morgan’s Message co-ambassadors, including juniors Anna Santos (soccer, girls’ lacrosse) and Lucy Hynds (soccer, rugby) and sophomores Fiona Rodriguez-Clark (indoor track, lacrosse), Sydney Mun (ice hockey, lacrosse) and Niamh Lesnik (field hockey, lacrosse), are building off the momentum of the club formerly headed by 2023 graduate Lily Duffy.
“We know how mental health can affect people who play sports, and that’s really overlooked sometimes,” Mun said. “We realized that it wasn’t really talked about in our school, so we wanted to continue [the conversation].”
Morgan’s Message is an international organization that raises awareness about student-athlete mental health. It was created by the family, friends, and teammates in honor of Morgan Rodgers. A Division I lacrosse player at Duke University, Rodgers faced many mental health obstacles throughout her athletic career and died by suicide in 2019.
More than 1,650 high schools and colleges across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany have established Morgan’s Message chapters.
At Belmont, the group meets biweekly and has already put on three “dedication games” where they share the story of Morgan’s Message, and athletes wear ribbons and pins in honor of the cause. They also held a face-painting and bracelet-making stand at the Belmont Lacrosse Night. Funds raised from each event go back to the Morgan’s Message organization. Members of the Belmont group estimate they have raised nearly $300 to date.
At club meetings, the six co-ambassadors organize a variety of activities, such as arts and crafts and “get to know you” conversations. The Morgan’s Message organization also provides educational content, such as slideshow presentations on important mental health topics, like dealing with pressure as a student-athlete.
“It’s been nice to have that space to talk to each other and take a break from whatever we’re doing,” Rodriguez Clark said. “Take a moment to just relax and focus on ourselves.”
Outside of the six co-ambassadors, about as many additional students attend the meetings. More ambassadors are encouraged. The group’s goal is to spread awareness of the group and amplify mental health awareness. The dedication game at Belmont Lacrosse Night’s face-painting station drew the attention of innumerable Belmont Youth Lacrosse players. Many attendees donated.
The co-ambassadors aspire to raise more funds for the cause. They’ve seen other schools get special T-shirts for Morgan’s Message games and would love to do the same and further raise awareness. Another goal: a dedication game for every team at Belmont High School.
“Obviously Morgan played lacrosse, so I think it’s very well known in the lacrosse community what Morgan’s Message is,” Lesnik said. “I think that it’s really important to spread it to other sports who might not be as aware.”
BHS sports traditionally draw a solid crowd of students, parents, teachers, and community members. Many of them ask the co-ambassadors what they can do to help. The answer? Donate to the cause directly, but also be mindful of mental health. The group plans on presenting to coaches to spread the message further.
“As well as donating, people should make an effort to be mindful and try to promote safe and healthy environments for athletes,” Rodriguez-Clark said.
