Last year, the UMBC women's lacrosse team joined forces with Morgan's Message, an organization founded by the parents of former Duke University lacrosse player Morgan Rogers, who struggled with mental health before taking her own life in 2019, and the program's Mental Health Initiative.・Partnered for “For Children Day.''
This time, the Retrievers will be working with a group closer to home.
Senior goalie Isabella Fontana and her parents Joe and Gabriel founded the Mia Fontana Foundation. Named after her youngest daughter Mia, who died by suicide in 2021, the organization's aim is to reduce the number of children and teens struggling with mental health-related issues and provide support to those suffering from them. It is to provide.
UMBC invited the Mia Fontana Foundation to spend the long weekend on campus to speak to the athletes and headline the Mental Health Day Game, which will visit Manhattan College at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“Everyone has a Morgan message game, which is very close to lacrosse, but we also have a foundation specific to mental health that is very close to our team,” coach Amy Slade said. “So I thought, if the family is OK, and Isabella is OK, that's great. They have a great foundation that does great things for kids from ages 10 to 24.”
Mental health is an alarming concern for children and teens. According to the foundation's website, suicide is now the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24. And one in five children between the ages of 13 and 18 has or will develop a serious mental illness.
Joe and Gabrielle Fontana of Chevy Chase weren't worried about the mental health of their three daughters, Isabella, Sophia and Mia. Although the girls were young, they were confident as they developed their personalities. Isabella was athletic, Sofia was analytical, and Mia was sociable.
“[Mia] She had this gift of being able to walk up to a stranger and immediately talk to them,” Gabriel Fontana recalled. “I was like, 'How do we do this?'
However, Mia's affinity for conversation and connection was limited by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, which forced many people indoors and away from others. Joe Fontana believes his daughter would have survived if not for the pandemic.
“I think the hardest thing for us about Mia was that this kid had such a bright personality,” he said. “She always had that smile on her face. I think the hardest thing for us was knowing that she had these struggles that we didn't realize.”
Mia Fontana passed away on May 20, 2021 at the age of 15. Isabella Fontana avoided the topic of her absence, and she did not answer any questions in her email regarding her sister, except when she was asked about the importance of the foundation.
“Losing Mia was truly difficult for our entire family,” she wrote. “I think this foundation will help all of us turn her tragedy into a positive direction of helping others.”
The loss of their youngest daughter is a struggle for Gabriel and Joe Fontana, too.
“We grieve every day,” Gabriel said. “That's a big loss.”
“You're just shocked when that happens,” Joe said. “There's a lot of sadness and a lot of different emotions. But one of the things we decided early on was to do something meaningful to help others get out of this situation. So, very early on, we decided to do something and that evolved into the Mia Fontana Foundation. It's a loss you'll never get over. It's terrible. “
Joe, 63, is the CEO of a printing and communications company, while Gabriel, 56, the founder of a company that runs after-school clubs in Montgomery County, visits schools to talk about students' mental health and often donates magazines. are doing. They help children cope with difficulties and provide advice to parents. “If we impact one person, that's a win,” she said.
Isabella Fontana finished last season leading the America East team in both saves per game (9.5) and save percentage (.455). She was also given her own parking spot in front of Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena because she was her school's top fundraiser.
This spring, Fontana ranks first in the conference in scoring average (7.62) and second in save percentage (.444) as the Retrievers enjoy their second 4-2 start in as many years. Slade described Fontana as “a very electric, gravitas person” and said he was loved by his teammates.
“She's a really good support system for everyone,” she said. “She's a really great listener. So it was easy for them to rally behind her.”
Isabella is playing lacrosse and studying economics at UMBC, while Sophia is a sophomore at the University of Maryland majoring in both math and psychology. Still, Gabriel Fontana admitted Mia's death was never far from their thoughts.
“It's always on your mind,” she said. “You still have to take a step forward. They're doing what they want to do, but it's still in their head. Even if it doesn't show that they lost her sister, it's always there. It is located in.”
Isabella and Sofia Fontana are very active with the foundation, and in between their juggling schedules of academics, athletics, and social events, their parents design logos for shirts and hats and create PowerPoint presentations. I often help out. Joe Fontana said he is grateful for their resilience.
“We never want to take anything for granted,” he said. “It's something we all deal with every day. I'm grateful that we're both pursuing our dreams and passions.”
