(Credit: Griffin Gives Foundation)
Mark McMillian donates two benches as part of a growing effort to support youth mental health and create safe spaces for students
Former Philadelphia Eagle Mark McMillian last month presented a Friendship Bench to students at Souderton Area High School, complete in the school's signature black, red and white color scheme.
Additionally, McMillan presented a lavender-colored Friendship Bench during a celebrity bartending event with Barrett Brooks at Suspenders Bar & Grill in Franconia Township, prior to the Oct. 9 Eagles game.
McMillian is helping bring mental-health awareness into schools through a growing initiative centered around “friendship benches.” The benches, installed at schools in partnership with The Lift Foundation and McMillian’s nonprofit football program Camp 29, are meant to serve as visible, safe places where students can signal that they need help, a conversation, or support.
(Credit: Griffin Gives Foundation)
(Credit: Griffin Gives Foundation)
(Credit: Griffin Gives Foundation)If a child sits on the bench, it alerts peers and teachers that the student may be experiencing bullying, loneliness, depression, or other struggles.
McMillian has long hosted youth football camps in Pennsylvania, and proceeds from Camp 29 are now used to fund the installation of a new friendship bench in a Lancaster County school each year.
Organizers say the effort aims to address rising youth mental-health concerns and give students an easy, stigma-free way to reach out. The benches act as both a physical space for connection and a visual tool to help teachers and classmates recognize when someone may be in trouble.
The program’s goal is to continue using football-funded community outreach to support emotional well-being in schools.
