Dos Pueblos High School’s Fight Eating Disorders Club was founded this year by co-presidents Sabrina Avolio (10) and Melanie Cervantes (11). The co-presidents said that the F.E.D. Club’s goal is to provide support to students with eating disorders and to increase awareness about eating disorders in the community.
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 28.8 million Americans will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. ANAD also reported that anorexia nervosa has the highest case mortality rate of any mental illness, with a rate of five to 10 percent within 10 years of contracting the disease.
At DPHS’s first TEDx event, Avolio shared her experience with anorexia nervosa at the DPHS Elings Performing Arts Center on October 25, 2024. Cervantes was in the audience, and she said Avolio’s speech had impacted her.
“I remember going to watch it; I saw Sabrina, and she spoke about her experience,” Cervantes said. “As someone who has also gone through an eating disorder experience for a lot of my life, I really felt it. I saw her contact information, so I contacted her and asked her if she would like to create a club with me”
Although Cervantes said she did not believe herself to be a leader at the time, she said she felt compelled to step out of her comfort zone and “be able to create change” in her community.
“I’ve never really been the type to have a leadership role,” Cervantes said. “Since I’ve had a lot of social anxiety in my life, seeing [Avolio’s] TEDx talk, it really pushed me to see that I could actually do something.”
Cervantes uses the club as a way to make sure that the community gets accurate information about eating disorders and other mental health conditions.
“I really care about making sure that the information going out into the world is accurate,” Cervantes said. “I think that’s what I like about being able to … have the final say on some things.”
In the club, members participate in a variety of activities, including mini-lessons aimed to educate about anxiety and eating disorders and time to talk with one another.
“A lot of people [at the club] are really nice,” Simmone Harris (11) said. “You get to make new friends and then also learn about a new thing maybe you hadn’t learned before.”
Currently, the F.E.D. Club is planning to organize events outside of school. While nothing has been decided yet, the club plans to run events that will raise awareness about eating disorders and other mental health issues in the community.
“We’re very focused on trying to get into community spaces where lots of people will be around so we can talk to them,” Avolio said.
The club is a space to socialize, spread awareness, and learn about eating disorders.
“If you just want to learn more about eating disorders, then you should come check the club out,” Marielena Carachure (11) said.
The F.E.D. Club meets every Thursday at lunch in room H-34.
