On Thursday, January 30th, the Camden boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams became the latest Blue Devil programs to rally around the cause of student-athlete mental health. The teams partnered with the Camden High School Morgan’s Message Club to present Morgan’s Message night at their doubleheader against Indian River and Fulton in the Camden High School gymnasium.
This is the third dedication night for the club since its founding in Fall 2024 by senior student-athlete Ryen Lago and Camden High School social worker Michelle Mellon. Their objective? To empower student-athletes at all levels to take a proactive stance on student-athlete mental health locally, and as part of a larger movement globally.
Morgan’s Message is a large non-profit founded in memory of Duke University student-athlete Morgan Rodgers, with the mission of helping athletes through many of the difficulties she faced in her own life.
The evening featured raffles, a concession stand, and remarks from Lago and girls’ wrestling student-athlete Kamryn Gloude.
“Our goal never changes,” Lago told the crowd. “We must spread the message that mental health is important and create a safe space between peers to have important, judgment-free conversations. Being an athlete comes with challenges, and mental health should be your number one priority…. Through Morgan’s Message, we learn about the importance of compassion for ourselves and others. Vulnerability is not a weakness, but a courageous step toward healing and connection. Each of us has the power to make a difference in someone’s life by being present and listening without judgment.”
Making this event particularly noteworthy was that it marked the first time an individual sport has held this event at Camden. Competing in an individual sport, such as Wrestling, comes with its own unique challenges and rewards compared to a team sport because as an athlete, a competitor has to manage sole responsibility for each outcome. And each competitor handles that in their own way.
Through the evening’s events, an additional $145 was raised as part of over $2,000 raised by the club through the generosity of the community since the beginning of the year.
If you’d like to support the club and its endeavors, they recently opened an online store through an external vendor, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit their mission. You can find that store at https://shinethelighton.com/collections/morgan-s-message-chs
.