A few days after the Sandy Hook massacre, Max Eigen was in Florida with his family.
Walking the beach on vacation, he and his brothers thought of a small way to help. They collected shells, threaded them with string and beads, then brought them home to sell.
That tiny gesture raised more than $5,000 for Sandy Hook families.
A few months ago, Max was in Florida again. This time, it was the aftermath of 3 suicides: a Staples High School student, Staples teacher and Westport police officer.
Once again, Max wanted to make a difference.
He collected more shells. Once again, he raised $5,000 for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
From left: Max, Sam and Jack Eigen.
“It’s hard to sit in Westport and watch all of this,” the Staples sophomore, lacrosse and basketball player, and Service League of Boys (SLOBs) member, says.
“At first I thought there was nothing I could do. But there is.”
He’s talking to the school’s outreach counselor Ed Milton, and Department of Human Services’ Elaine Daignault. He wants them to help organize a club, to keep the issues of mental health and suicide in the forefront of students’ minds.
It’s still in the planning stages. But twice already, Max Eigen has proven he gets to work.
And gets things done.