Junior Sara Shorts started a new club called “Morgan’s Message,” inspired by one of her good friends at Fallston High School.

Her friend had torn her ACL and had a hard time coping with it.

“I wanted to be able to help her cope with it and other students, too,” said Sara.

“She was starting Morgan’s Message at Fallston, so I had thought why not start one at John Carroll to help continuing to spread Morgan’s story,” said Sara.

Morgan’s Message was originally created in memory of Morgan Rodgers who took her own life on July 11, 2019, at the age of 22.

The purpose of Morgan’s Message is to help eliminate the stigma of mental health in high school and collegiate athletes and equalize not only physical health but mental health as well.

Morgan’s Message aims to normalize mental health conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence and supporting those who feel alone.

Sara said, “I am excited to have the opportunity to be able to spread the message, and if you haven’t heard about Morgan’s story, definitely come out to a meeting or look up morgansmessage.org to learn more about it.”

Sara hopes that anyone who joins the club is able to learn about the resources they can use when they are struggling and that they can think of mental health as a more comfortable and normalized topic.

“Even if you think you are alone, there are other people who fight the same battles behind closed doors. If we make mental health a more open topic, we will not feel the need to hide our struggles,” Sara explained.

Sara added, “It is a very powerful story, and I’m excited to get it out to the community to spread awareness for mental health.”

Meetings are still to be determined, but more information can be found on Instagram @morgansmessagejc.

Posters will also be put up around the school to provide additional information.