Mike Kraft/MDN Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota’s Amber Blomberg (left), Dani Speer (center) and Minot Hot Tots and Honeybees General Manager Monica Hocking (right) display a banner highlighting the “Strike Out the Stigma” campaign that will run through the month of July.

Fans of the Hot Tots and Honeybees will have another reason to celebrate strikeouts by their hometown team’s pitchers at Corbett Field this July, as the Minot-based baseball and softball programs have continued their partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) as part of the “Strike Out the Stigma” campaign.

For the third consecutive year, the Hot Tots – and now the Honeybees – and the BCBSND are teaming up to help spread awareness for mental health and supporting suicide prevention across the state.

BCBSND will donate $50 for every strikeout a Hot Tots or Honeybees pitcher records during games at Corbett Field during the month of July, along with yesterday’s Honeybees game against the Madison Night Mares. All proceeds will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“We really wanted to bring a topic that’s not as fun to talk about into an atmosphere that’s really fun to be at,” said Amber Blomberg, BCBSND Caring Foundation and Community Engagement Executive Director. “It’s really bringing that community together and we want people to know that it’s OK to not be OK and that there are resources and support available and it’s been a great partnership.”

BCBSND works with other baseball programs across the state, including the Bismarck Larks, Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks and Badlands Big Sticks. Last year, the “Strike Out the Stigma” initiative helped donate around $20,000. While the donations go to a different charity each year, the impact remains the same.

“Right now mental health is finally getting talked about more,” said Monica Hocking, Hot Tots and Honeybees General Manager and Managing Partner. “The timing was honestly perfect to start this. The feedback has been great and as the partnership continues to grow, people become more familiar with it and that message can get through a little bit deeper.”

According to the BCBSND website, mental health was the No. 1 source of claims by the group’s members last year, and in 2021, 1 in 8 adults in North Dakota reported at least two weeks of mentally unhealthy days over a span of one month. During the pandemic, many people across the country experienced mental health concerns, bringing the topic to the spotlight.

“We certainly can’t blame the pandemic, but ever since then it’s certainly escalated the need for more mental health services and support and providers and there’s more anxiety, more suicidal rates, depression and feeling of loneliness than ever before, so I think that’s just one of the important things why we wanted this initiative to really be at the forefront of this campaign,” Blomberg said. “We want to let people know that there are others out there that are listening and want to help them get better, whether it’s yourself or someone you know and love, there’s just many different charities and many different organizations that are rooting for you or a loved one to get better.”

Hocking said that BCBSND has been a natural fit since they began partnering three years ago, as they both strive to make a difference in mental health across the state.

“Amber and I had been in talks before about what partnerships we could do and what made sense and we were both looking for something that tied to both of our brands and really spoke to us more than a basic, normal partnership,” Hocking said. “When Amber reached out about ‘Strike Out the Stigma’ we just thought it was a perfect fit. We’re all about using fun to make a difference and what describes that better than this? When you can find something that both organizations really care about like mental health – something serious – but make it fun in a way that the Hot Tots and Honeybees do, that’s when it becomes an even better partnership.”

Hocking said that last year alone, the Hot Tots helped contribute around $5,000-$6,000 to the initiative. The Hot Tots and Honeybees pitching staff are no strangers to recording strikeouts this season. The Hot Tots pitching staff has combined to strike out 247 batters thus far this season entering Thursday’s game, averaging more than eight strikeouts per nine innings. Trent Harris leads the Hot Tots with 25 strikeouts. On the Honeybees side, their pitchers have combined for 53 strikeouts and average a little more than four strikeouts per game entering Thursday. Julianna Verni leads the team with 25 strikeouts.

Honeybees pitcher Ashleigh Heiderscheit has eight strikeouts this season and understands the importance around ending the stigma of mental health.

“In recent years it’s become a lot more recognized that it’s a problem in athletics, especially college athletics,” Heiderscheit said. “It’s really important for it to be recognized that college athletes’ mental health is important.”

Hocking believes that this initiative is not just to benefit those attending the games who may be experiencing mental health struggles, but the athletes on the field as well.

“The overarching message is this isn’t just for the fans in the stands,” Hocking said. “The mental health of athletes is a huge deal and finally getting a little more attention – probably the attention that it always should have been getting. That is an important message that they can see. I think it’s really fun when our media team puts together different videos of them throwing a lot of strikeouts and then it also impacts this awesome cause while spreading a great message too.”

Blomberg said she can see the impact the campaign has had in the community over the past few years. One of their campaign partners said they saw a 40 percent increase in the number of patients making appointments for their mental health during the time of the initiative and another experienced a significant increase in traffic toward their website, according to Blomberg. Just as important to Blomberg is the feedback from those who approach their booth at the events themselves.

“If you come to one of our games and visit our booth, we have surveys we ask our booth participants to take,” Blomberg said. “One of the questions being ‘Is what we’re doing here tonight helping to reduce the stigma of mental health?’ and most people – if not all – say yes it is making a difference. There are those tangible things where we know we are making an improvement.”

For more information about the “Strike Out the Stigma” campaign, visit the BCBSND website at https://www.bcbsnd.com/caring-foundation/initiatives/strike-out-the-stigma.