It’s Ok Not To Be Ok
This story is about the efforts the Norwalk Girl’s Lacrosse team is making in suicide prevention.
On average, there are 130 suicides per day. That means not only the 130 are effected mentally but by that action that person’s family and friends are effected by that suicide everyday. The only way to actually prevent suicide is to spread awarness to let that person know- it’s ok not to be ok.
Suicide prevention is something that Coach Martinez of Norwalk High School cares a lot about.
While a student at Westhill High in Stamford, Martinez was a softball teammate and friend of Rachel Sottosanti.
Sottosanti, a standout Vikings player and captain, was also the youth team basketball and softball coach at Stamford, and someone many of her teammates say they greatly admire.
As a freshman at Southern Connecticut in 2009, a year after graduating from Westhill, Sottosanti committed suicide. The tragedy had a lasting effect on Martinez.
Martinez says, “I think it is important to teach my student athletes to give back; to do something greater than themselves.”
This 2022 season, the Bears are holding a mini-golf fundraiser on May 24 at Calf Pasture Beach, with some of the funds going to benefit My Friend Abby, which supports peer project grants for campaigns and projects supporting mental health, mental illness and suicide prevention.
My Friend Abby on their website states, “Our focus is on future preparation of mental health awareness for students. This includes encouragement of self help, navigating social skills, emotional freedom, and peer to peer outreach.”
So, go and donate or attend the mini-golf fundraiser to Norwalk Girl’s Lacrosse in their efforts to help prevent suicide.
Rachel Miller is currently a senior at Norwalk High School. She has been writing for the Paw Print for three years now. She plays field hockey, basketball,...
