My name is Stella Livingston, and for my Independent Service Project, I created Wellness Waves, a program focused on providing mental health and wellness classes for youth in my community. Mental health is something that I feel is extremely important, especially for young people. I have seen people close to me struggle with their mental health, and I know how important it is to have access to support and healthy ways to manage stress. This inspired me to create a project where young people could learn about different aspects of wellness in a fun and supportive environment.
For my project, I wanted to create classes that gave students practical ways to take care of their mental and overall well-being. I wanted the classes to be different from one another because I know that wellness looks different for everyone. I organized three classes at Lunch Break in Red Bank, which generously provided the space for the program. The classes included: Shake the Dust with Sunshine Kate, a movement-based class combining dancing, Pilates, stretching, and more; an EFT Tapping Workshop with Meryl Hayton, an Inner Peace Specialist; and Discover the Power of Your Mind with Susan Marco, a Mindset Mentor and Clinical Hypnotist. Each instructor brought something completely different to the program, which gave students the opportunity to try different approaches to wellness.
A major part of creating Wellness Waves was fundraising. I raised a little over $1,000 to help support the program and cover costs associated with the classes. I held a fundraiser featuring a hockey puck signed by Henrik Lundqvist, created promotional materials, and shared the fundraiser with family, friends, and members of my community. I was very grateful for how many people supported the project! Their donations helped turn Wellness Waves from an idea into something I could actually bring to my community.
There was also a lot of planning that happened behind the scenes. I reached out to instructors, communicated with Lunch Break, organized class schedules, created registration forms and promotional materials, and helped coordinate everything needed for each session. I quickly realized that creating a program like this involved much more work than I originally expected. There were so many small details that needed to be figured out, and I learned how important organization, communication, and flexibility are when working on a project like this.
One of my favorite parts of the project was seeing the students actually participate in the classes and hearing them share how the sessions helped them! It was extremely rewarding to see people try something new and leave with something positive from the experience. It made me realize that even a small program can create a meaningful impact when it gives people a space to learn, connect, and focus on themselves.
This experience taught me so much about leadership and service. I learned how to communicate with professionals and community organizations, organize a project, fundraise, and solve problems when things did not always go exactly as planned. Most importantly, I learned how much effort really goes into creating something that may seem simple from the outside. Seeing Wellness Waves go from an idea to actual classes in my community made all of that work feel worth it.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make Wellness Waves possible, especially the instructors, Lunch Break, everyone who donated, and the students who participated. This project has become something that I hope to continue beyond my ISP. I want Wellness Waves to keep growing and continue providing young people with opportunities to learn about mental health, wellness, and different ways to take care of themselves. I am excited to see where Wellness Waves can go from here and hope to continue making a positive impact in my community.
Written by HLFYA Stella Livingston
