Our Crowdfunding Groups
Mustangs Connected is a 30-day fundraising initiative coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month. We aim to build mental health awareness and wellbeing among Cal Poly’s student-athlete population. Our goal is to raise $16,500 to fully fund a virtual technology, TalkSpace, that will be available as a resource for all 550 student-athletes.
TalkSpace is utilized as virtual support with benefits including meditation, one-on-one therapy sessions, sleep training, positive self-talk exercises, and more. This app will give each student-athlete, across all 21 sports, access to a virtual resource with easy scheduling abilities so they can fit meetings or exercises into their busy schedules. The pandemic was extremely taxing on all student-athletes, who were unable to compete with teammates, unable to access in-person advice from coaches and unable to experience the positivity brought by unconditional fan support.
Recently, two of our swimmers had the privilege of interviewing Michael Phelps, an advocate for athlete mental health. He encourages student-athletes to break the stigma surrounding the issue and feel comfortable expressing their hardships and working through them with others. This mindset is contagious and we hope to provide the resources so our student-athletes feel comfortable talking to medical professionals about anything that troubles them.
Cal Poly Athletics is determined to pay it forward and ensure our student-athletes are safe and appreciated, strengthening their mental game by boosting confidence that will increase academic success and athletic performance. View the giving amounts to see how you can make a difference for a single student-athlete or an entire team. You have the ability to donate any of the suggested levels or a custom amount of your choosing. Any contribution is greatly appreciated and will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes.
Cal Poly Athletics has pledged to support our student-athletes through this time of uncertainty and break the stigma surrounding mental health. Please show your support of our campaign via social media by posting with our hashtag: #BuckTheStigma. Sharing our message can make a meaningful impact on our student-athlete population and the surrounding community.
We will be posting weekly updates to notify participants of our progress. Thank you for your continued support of Cal Poly Athletics.
“When Mustangs support Mustangs, the Cal Poly community is strengthened.”
A gift of $30 sponsors a year of mental health support for one student-athlete.
A gift of $100 sponsors a year of mental health support for three student-athletes.
A gift of $300 sponsors a year of mental health support for a team of 10 student-athletes - Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Men’s Tennis, and Women’s Tennis.
A gift of $600 sponsors a year of mental health support for a team of 20 student-athletes - Women’s Beach Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, and Women’s Volleyball.
A gift of $1,000 sponsors a year of mental health support for a team of 35 student-athletes – Men’s Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Soccer.
A gift of $3,000 sponsors a year of mental health support for a team of 100 student-athletes – Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country, and Football.
