Cape students hosts Morgan’s Message awareness walk

Morgan’s Message Club members (l-r) Lina Frederick, Mallory Terhune and Mya DiSabatino lead the hallway walk at the Morgan’s Message event held May 4 at the Cape High gymnasium. DAN COOK PHOTOS

Dan Cook

May 13, 2025

The Morgan’s Message Club at Cape Henlopen High School held a walk and fun day in the school gymnasium May 4, where nearly 300 people participated in the fun event with a serious purpose.

Morgan Rodgers was a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health issues. Although Morgan’s life was cut short, her legacy of unconditional love remains. Morgan’s Message was created by her family and former teammates with the mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, normalize conversations about mental health and ensure that mental health is treated equally with physical health for all student-athletes.

The Morgan’s Message Club was started at Cape in 2022 by two student-athletes with a passion for spreading awareness about mental health in the school community. Now, the club has grown to more than 200 student-athlete members with representation from all sports offered at the high school. In addition, there are over a dozen coach and staff advisors, bringing various perspectives and experiences to the club.

Throughout the school year, the club has monthly assemblies with mental health advocates including Chris Locke and Zach Ryan from Unlocke the Light Foundation and Sean’s House, Dan Rigby from Win the Day, and Claire Kehoe from Morgan’s Message, among others. Members also participate in monthly small-group meetings where grade-level ambassadors lead conversations around various mental health topics directly impacting local students.

The club hosts dedication games throughout each sports season to sell T-shirts and collect donations, along with fundraising events like dine and donates with local restaurants, and a donation-based yoga class at Soulfire Collective.

Larger events held each year are a tailgate in the fall and the one-mile awareness walk. The awareness walk has been a great success the past two years with fun activities for people of all ages, a bake sale and opportunities to access resources in the local community, including Beebe Healthcare.

Selling cookies and cupcakes are volunteers (l-r) Norah Block, Alysa McCarthy, Emily Wells, Regan Best, Nicole Best, Cassidy Best, McKena Collick, Mallory Terhune and Amalia Fruchtman.

Having a gym scooter race are Brynn Evick, left, and Finley Conn.

Enjoying the event are (l-r) Elly and Jenny Nauman, Kristin DeGregory, Dawn Clarke and Julie Boyd.

Coloring Morgan’s Message pictures are (l-r) Max Elders, Madison Rice, Grace Heers and Logan Crotty.

Constructing Morgan’s Message bracelets are (l-r) Norah Block, Addison Breneman, Layla Conn, Riylie Myers and Angie McCarthy.

Selling Morgan’s Message T-shirts are (l-r) Pam Elliott, Jeff Jablon and Heidi Furman.

Harper Collick, 8, shows her talent for creating bubbles.

Jameson Tingle, left, and Braxton Figgs race through the inflatable obstacle course.

Emily Hains, RN, left, and Maddie Maksymow, peer coach, share information about the Beebe Healthcare Behavioral Health unit.

Connor Drislane, left, and Matt Huewe of Aquacare Physical Therapy provide information about services at their many locations.

Mya and Ali DiSabatino of Soulfire Collective Yoga deliver the message that yoga helps empower individuals so they can live a life of possibility and connection both on and off the mat.