Bridgewater, NJ (December, 2021) The Bridgewater-Raritan High School (BRHS) Field Hockey Varsity and JV teams presented a check to EmPoWER Somerset’s Executive Director, Brenda Esler, at their recent Fall Sports Award Banquet. Under the direction of Head Coach, and BRHS teacher Lydia Pinto, and Assistant Coaches, Alexandra Shafi and Amanda Durso, these student-athletes arranged, advertised and held and participated in multiple fundraisers throughout the fall season. The team wanted to focus on helping teens and youth with mental health awareness, as this is an issue that is extremely important to them. “I think it’s important to teach these athletes that it’s about more than just a game and they can use this platform to make a positive difference in their community, noted Head Coad Lydia Pinto. ”
They chose EmPoWER Somerset as their beneficiary because of the organization’s work in providing mental health awareness education. EmPoWER Somerset offers the Mental Health First Aid program free of charge to the community, which is a skills-based course that teaches participants to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. The program provides the tools needed to help save a life that could be threatened by thoughts of suicide.
“We are incredibly inspired and appreciative of the selfless efforts of these students,” said Brenda Esler. “We could not be prouder of their work in supporting our community. We are also very thankful to everyone who came out to participate in the fundraisers.” EmPoWER Somerset is a 501C3 nonprofit organization with the mission of empowering individuals and families to make positive lifestyle choices by promoting healthy, drug-free communities through education, collaboration, and connections to resources. Please see www.empowersomerset.com for more information about Mental Health First Aid and opportunities to donate to help raise mental health awareness.
All members of the community are encouraged to attend Mental Health First Aid training offered by EmPoWER Somerset. To locate and register for an upcoming virtual training opportunity, visit PioneerFSC.com and click the “Mental Health First Aid” tab. For more information or to request a training for your group, contact Kim Petro-Orlik at Kim@empowersomerset.com or 908-722-4900 extension 203.