In conjunction with National Mental Health Awareness Month, Virginia Tech Athletics and the Hokie Club are pleased to announce a special fundraiser to support the Sports Psychology Program and its Counseling and Athletics Mental Performance (CAMP) staff.
The goal of this fundraiser is to supplement the overall budget of CAMP, which provides counseling services, team counseling, and other resources for student-athletes to enrich their mental health while at Virginia Tech.
With your philanthropic support, you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the spiritual well-being of our student-athletes here at Virginia Tech. Click here to support the staff at Sportpsychologie and CAMP as they help change the lives of young people for the better.
“We’re truly committed to creating an environment where student-athletes feel comfortable enough to have their mental health ministered to with our sports psychology staff,” said Danny White, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services & University Affairs . “They do exceptional work to ensure our student-athletes are able to improve and maintain their mental well-being to have the best possible experience at Virginia Tech.”
The CAMP program is led by Dr. Gary Bennett, Associate Athletic Director of Sport Psychology and a dedicated servant of Virginia Tech since 1995. In addition to coordinating CAMP, Bennett provides one-to-one counseling for Hokie student-athletes, advises coaches and training staff on student-athletes, and is on-call 24 hours a day for nearly 600 Virginia Tech student-athletes.
“It is immeasurably important to us to support student-athletes on their journey to improving their mental well-being,” said Bennett. “We want to ensure that our student-athletes have all the resources necessary to progress in the same journey while they are in Blacksburg.”
Student athletes at Virginia Tech actively seek to improve their mental health through CAMP. Their staff also offer team building sessions to improve chemistry, as well as support groups and mindfulness workshops.
Emma Atkinson, an All-American swim student and sophomore athlete, emphasized the importance of the CAMP staff to their development both in the pool and in their everyday lives.
“Everyone strives to be the best version of themselves they can be,” said Atkinson, who finished sixth in the country at the 2022 NCAA championships in 2000. “CAMP allows me to comfortably open up and talk about my mental health issues, and with the help and support that CAMP provides, I know I can be the best version of myself.”
Mekhi Lewis, the only NCAA champion in Virginia Tech Wrestling history, echoed Atkinson’s praise for CAMP and how important the program has been to his sporting and personal life.
“Meeting with a member of the CAMP team has done a lot for my success this season,” said Lewis, who was named 2022 ACC Wrestler of the Year. “My counselor helped me reflect on all aspects of my life and helped me work on it. I had more positive days than negative ones. I was really grateful to be able to work with my advisor this year.”
This program is critical for student-athletes to succeed on their own mental health journey before they can ultimately triumph in competition. Rachel Baxter, the 2022 NCAA indoor pole vault champion, recognized CAMP for helping her overcome some of the challenges she faced.
“As student-athletes, it’s important to be able to talk to someone outside of our sport, and our sports psychology team is ready to help day or night,” Baxter claimed, several months after becoming the first student-athlete to claim four straight ACC victories. Indoor Event Title. “You know what it’s like to be a student athlete and I’m so grateful that we have all the resources that we have.”
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