Center Moriches Kicks Off Mental Health Run Series – “Choosing to Include 2025”

The Center Moriches Mental Health Run Series is back, uniting the community to promote mental well-being, inclusivity, and physical fitness! Inspired by PS I Love You Day, this student-led initiative emphasizes movement and community support as powerful coping strategies for mental health.

🏃‍♂️ First Race – Mark Your Calendar!

📅 March 15, 2025 | ⏰ 8:30 AM | 📍 Neville Park, Center Moriches, NY
Participants can choose from:

• 5K run/walk
• 1-mile non-competitive run
• Kids’ fun run

🎟️ Students register for FREE with code: UOV2025

💜 Why Join?

✅ Access to mental health resources from local vendors
✅ Free shirts, giveaways, and refreshments
✅ Raffles, prizes, music, and food
✅ A unified event where individuals of all abilities participate together, fostering social inclusion through sports

🏅 More Races in the Series:

📍 Patchogue-Medford – April 6, 2025
📍 Connetquot – May 4, 2025
📍 North Babylon – May 17, 2025

Last year, this inspiring series engaged over 700 student participants and raised $22,000 for mental health initiatives. With 2025 bringing even more growth, we’re excited to expand the impact!

🌟 Student Leadership Driving Change

This year, 102 students are involved in student leadership—an impressive number considering our high school has just over 500 students, with the majority being student-athletes. Each year, a new group of seniors steps up to lead, while underclassmen shadow them to prepare for the future.

Our four senior leaders this year—all student-athletes—are managing everything from securing event permits to planning timelines. They organize classroom presentations across K-12, inviting every student in the district, sharing the free registration code, and encouraging participation. Through peer-to-peer engagement, they emphasize the lifelong benefits of physical activity for mental well-being, ensuring all students—regardless of athletic ability—feel included.

We’ve also partnered with our physical education department to make this a truly unified event, reinforcing our commitment to social inclusion in sports.

📣 Expanding Our Reach

Our student leaders work every day on social media promotions, sponsor outreach, and community engagement. They’ve personally visited businesses, contacted vendors, and are collaborating with Patchogue-Medford, Connetquot, and North Babylon to co-promote the event across all participating schools.

This year, we’re taking our media coverage to the next level:
📸 A professional photographer will capture key moments.
🎥 News 12 has been contacted for potential video coverage.
📹 A professional video is in the works, featuring students from North Babylon and our community partner, Sayville Running Club, to document the process and encourage more schools to join in the future.

🙌 Get Involved!

We invite everyone to run, walk, volunteer, or support this impactful event. Businesses and organizations can sponsor, host a resource table, donate giveaways, or contribute raffle prizes.

📢 Register today using the QR code in the flyer or reach out for sponsorship opportunities. Let’s make 2025 our biggest year yet!