Number of Participants: 1000
Hours Donated: 1
Value of Time Served: $8,450
Event Type: Health & Safety
Activity: Schools
Date: April 7, 2025
Location:
St. Thomas Aquinas College
New York 340, Sparkill
NY
About:
The East Coast Conference and the conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) are set to host its annual Mental Health Awareness Week from April 7-13. With this initiative, ECC SAAC intends to bring awareness with a week full of ECC games and events dedicated to a cause that promotes the messaging that when it comes to mental health, it’s okay to ask for help.
“Mental health awareness is important for improving mental well-being, reducing the impact of mental illness, and creating a supportive and inclusive society,” said ECC Commissioner Jessica Grasso. “By promoting acceptance, reducing stigma, and encouraging help-seeking behavior, mental health awareness can empower our student-athletes to prioritize and improve their mental health. I am proud of the ECC student-athletes for acting and promoting programming to better serve themselves and their team and to support others.”
“Recognizing mental health is crucial for promoting athletes’ well-being and helping them learn to build a balanced and fulfilling life,” said Kathleen Healy, SAAC President and junior cross country and track and field runner at Molloy. “Athletes face unique pressures that significantly affect their well-being. The mental health of athletes is just as important as their physical health. A strong mental game is just as important as a strong physical one.”
“Mental health has such an impact on every facet of life, and it influences the lives of so many you interact with,” said Bradyn Winters, SAAC President and sophomore men’s volleyball student-athlete at Daemen University. “Holding a conference-wide Mental Health Awareness Week shows the interconnected relation between all of our fellow schools in the conference.”
“Having the ECC recognize Mental Health Week by holding a conference-wide awareness week offers numerous benefits to athletes in member schools,” added Healy. “Acknowledging the week helps to reduce the stigma around mental health and encourages open conversations about athletes’ and coaches’ experiences. The ECC uniting for Mental Health Week helps to foster a culture of support, teamwork, and understanding across the conference.”
