Morgan Rodgers was raised here in Fauquier County, VA. She grew up as a gifted artist with incredible talent, as well as an outstanding athlete with relentless drive and passion. Morgan began to struggle with mental health at a young age, with a knee injury that made it extremely difficult to function in the way that she used to. She couldn’t do the things that she loved, and as a result, she lost her sense of self-worth and motivation. Morgan began to suffer from severe depression and anxiety, and passed away due to suicide on July 11, 2019, at 22 years old.
We continue to think about how we can make a change in the athletic community, as the grief of the tremendous loss was channeled into a passion project, which was created on May 27, 2020 (Morgan’s Birthday). This project was made to impact the masses and created a mission to confront student-athlete mental health and build a community.
The vision of Morgan’s Message is to work to eliminate the stigma around mental health for student-athletes and equalize treatment in this specific department. Morgan’s Message’s goal is to grow the knowledge about athletes’ mental health, empower those who suffer in silence, and normalize conversation for anyone who feels alone.
Morgan’s Messengers is a group of Morgan’s family and friends who were deeply impacted by the loss, and work to spread awareness about Morgan’s Message and what it stands for. The main mission is to strengthen student-athlete’s mental health and build a stronger community for and by athletes to provide a place for growth and comfort.
Morgan’s Message supports all student volunteers to become advocates for students who may be struggling with their mental health. Morgan’s Message plans to help spread awareness by participating in distress events, dedication games, guest speakers, and community building through the Morgan’s Message National Ambassadors Program. By being an ambassador, you would focus on bringing together advocates and supporting them through specialized Ambassador Groups to break the stigma surrounding student-athletes mental health.
By joining Morgan’s Message, you will be given the support you need to serve the community as a leader, the opportunity to leave a positive impact on the people around you, and the ability to educate others about mental health. Through Morgan’s Message, anyone can become an active leader and advocate for awareness to make a difference to the lives within our community.
