On the field, physical injuries get attention fast. Off the field, mental injuries can be ignored for a long time. Morgan’s Message, a Heritage High School club in support of the Morgan’s Message Foundation, works to change that narrative, advocating that physical health and mental health deserve the same amount of concern.
Morgan’s Message began with Morgan Rodgers, a Division 1 Women’s Lacrosse player at Duke University. In 2017, right before her second year of lacrosse at Duke, Morgan suffered a life-changing knee injury. This injury changed Morgan, making her feel worthless and anxious. This led to Morgan taking her life in July 2019. This inspired Morgan’s parents to create Morgan’s Message: a foundation advocating for mental health to be talked about more, especially with athletes. This foundation has been turned into clubs in schools across the country and even in Canada, England, Germany, as well as South Africa.
Our own Heritage High School’s Morgan’s Message club was founded by Diana Rua, Eliza Rademaker, 12, and Kennedy McLaurin, 12, in 2024. The three wanted to spread Morgan’s Message to Heritage students by creating a club where each meeting has different activities focused on Morgan’s Message. According to one of the club’s founding leaders, Kennedy McLaurin, she first heard about Morgan’s Message through her soccer team and figured that it would be beneficial to Heritage as well. According to Ellie Sifontes, a member of Morgan’s Message, the club does fun activities to help spread awareness of athlete mental health. Sifontes also says that she loves the community that Morgan’s Message brings.
Morgan’s Message has been around for 5 years and has already changed so many lives. You can do your part by donating to Morgan’s Message here or joining Morgan’s Message club by reaching out to [email protected] or [email protected].
