Mind You Matter; only three words, but so much meaning behind them.
Angelique Inchierca / Photo Editor
For Morgan Kathan, “Mind You Matter” is much more than just a phrase, it’s very much a legacy and foundation for a vital cause.
Kathan, a senior at Keene State College as well as a member of the women’s soccer team, has created a fundraiser for The Jed Foundation.
The Jed Foundation primarily focuses on helping provide support for individuals, as well as promotes positive mental health.
Jed helps evaluate and strengthen schools in fields such as mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention.
They also offer numerous support systems and encourage individuals to reach out (jedfoundation.org).
Kathan has created a personal way to fund-raise money for the foundation, creating the “Mind You Matter” phrase on her own.
Her slogan portrays the message that your mind can be your biggest enemy, but it is vital be able to look past everything else and remember that you truly matter.
She is creating her own bracelets and selling them for six dollars a piece, keeping one dollar herself in order to be able to buy more materials each week.
Each bracelet has four strands of string. Green: From the Earth we grow, Blue: With the sky as our limit, Yellow: Our souls shine bright, and Red: Here’s to life. To love and to live it.
For Kathan, this cause truly hits home.
“I deal with mental illness on my own. I know a lot of people who have personally struggled. I’ve lost a couple of friends as well, and so it just felt right to support such an amazing cause,” said Kathan.
Kathan has faced numerous struggles in her own life.
She is a strong individual, but she wasn’t always that way.
Her struggle with mental illness started in high school when she started losing confidence.
Kathan’s journey through her struggles has lasted for around six years.
In that time, she had sought out help for borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, manic depression and anxiety.
“It’s a hard topic. So finding this foundation and doing something like this not only means a lot to me, but it’s really just a step forward in the right direction,” said Kathan.
Kathan’s cause has already connected with so many people, her earnings being at $1,000 and increasing.
Kathan’s friend senior Mikaela Lonigro believes that the bracelet really hits home and supports a great cause.
“I saw her video on Facebook and it really touched me because a lot of kids feel like they don’t matter and don’t have someone to talk to. People are taking their own lives when they shouldn’t be,” said Lonigro.
Lonigro, having suffered from depression herself, knows how important it is to have support and access to help.
“It’s important to know that your mind does matter because it can truly take over at times. This video really helps spread awareness,” added Lonigro.
Junior Panthavy Pradachith also saw Kathan’s fundraiser as a great way to raise money for a vital cause.
But he praised Kathan’s creativity and personal touch even more so.
“It represents her and her personal experience. For her to come out and do that is great, not a lot of people could do that on their own,” said Pradachith.
For Kathan, this fundraiser has in many ways created a movement at KSC.
Her bracelets have brought people together and shed light on an issue that many often overlook.
With so much darkness in the world, it is nice to see such a bright flame in the Owl Nation.
Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com