Senator Hassan Recognizes Caitlyn Knowles and Bella Donohue of Exeter and Emma Sughrue of Brentwood as February’s Granite Staters of the Month

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized Caitlyn Knowles and Bella Donohue of Exeter and Emma Sughrue of Brentwood as February’s Granite Staters of the Month. This trio led the Exeter High School girl’s hockey team in organizing this year’s “Stick it to Stigma” game – an initiative to promote discussions around student mental health and show teenagers that they are not alone.

Exeter High School’s “Stick it to Stigma” game is an annual tradition for the community to raise awareness about students’ mental health. It is in partnership with Connor’s Climb, an organization that provides suicide prevention education to young people in New Hampshire.

Spectators participated in a Chuck-a-Puck fundraiser to compete for raffle prize money during half-time, mingled with new and old friends, and cheered on the teams. The incredible size of the crowd on this year’s game day was evidence of team captains Caitlyn, Emma, and Bella’s hard work and leadership in promoting the event, bringing people together, and raising awareness about mental health.

Senator Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a “Granite Stater of the Month,” constituents can complete the nomination form here.

See the full statement for the Congressional Record below.

I am honored to recognized Caitlyn Knowles and Bella Donohue of Exeter and Emma Sughrue of Brentwood as February’s Granite Staters of the Month. This trio led the Exeter High School girl’s hockey team in organizing this year’s “Stick it to Stigma” game – an initiative to promote discussions around student mental health and show teenagers that they are not alone.

Exeter High School’s first “Stick it to Stigma” game was in 2017, and is now an annual tradition for the community to raise awareness about students’ mental health. The event is in partnership with Connor’s Climb, an organization that provides suicide prevention education to young people in New Hampshire.

After last year’s event was downsized due to COVID-19, team captains Caitlyn, Emma, and Bella wanted this year’s event to bring the community together in a big way and to help reduce the stigma around mental health.

The trio promoted the event to their classmates and shared the word both in school and over social media. The incredible size of the crowd on game day was evidence of their hard work in bringing people together and raising awareness about mental health.

Spectators participated in a Chuck-a-Puck fundraiser to compete for raffle prize money, mingled with new and old friends, and cheered on the teams. Parents, students, and former players also wore buttons and t-shirts with messages of support to raise awareness around mental health, and shared information with one another about mental health resources.  

Caitlyn, Emma, and Bella are working to address mental health challenges and share the message that “it’s okay to not be okay” – a phrase that their coach often tells them. These young women showed enormous leadership in organizing an event that helped bring their community together, all the while shining a spotlight on one of the most important issues facing young people today. They exemplify the Granite State spirit of tackling an issue head on to help others, and I commend them for their efforts.

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