BILLINGS — If you’re strolling through campus at Rocky Mountain College, you might notice former Billings West standout and Battlin’ Bear cornerback Cohen Groener sporting some new threads as part of the HOLO 988 Project.
“Mainly mental health awareness and suicide prevention. It’s under Luc Swenson and his dad Thor Swenson,” Groener said. “The purpose is mainly just to empower kids to push through their boundaries, do what they want to do. Don’t let people tell you what you can and cannot do. He wants you to chase your dream, just how all of us athletes do that are part of the company.”
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Rocky’s Cohen Groener partners with HOLO 988 promoting mental health
Groener is one of four athletes promoting the Hope and Love brand, as he’s joined by Montana State athletes JJ Dolan, Taylee Chirrick and Brooklyn Griffin. When Groener was approached with the opportunity to help promote positive mental health, he jumped at the chance.
“For me I want to empower the kids that are either athletes or not athletes that every single person goes through that. Whether you’re watching an NFL player, they’re all feeling the same exact way,” Groener said. “For me at Rocky, I have a viewership and I wanted to show everyone that we’re all equal and we all have the same challenges.”
As he’s mentioned, Groener went through some of these very struggles trying to find his footing as a high school athlete. But once he really focused on his mental health and building routines, it felt like anything was within reach.
“When I get up and do what I need to do, take a shower, my clothes, all that stuff whatever it may be — when I do that stuff, I feel like I’ve completed one thing and I’m towards the next thing,” he said. “As soon as you keep building the blocks to get there, you’re eventually going to get there. It brings you hope, more or less, and brought me hope that I’m going to get to my goal, and that’s kind of where I’ve got to.”
Groener is helping showcase a different side of name, image and likeness that’s a beacon of positivity.
More info on the Hope and Love brand can be found here.