In collaboration with the exhibition game featuring the University of Dayton and Ohio State University men’s basketball teams, the University of Dayton and CareSource will host the Spotlight Town Hall event, dedicated to honoring Jayda Grant and advocating for the mental health and suicide prevention of adolescents and young adults. The event aims to raise awareness and provide education on mental health and wellness in this demographic.
This event is open to the public and will take place at the University of Dayton Arena on Thursday, October 19, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET.
The program will feature a presentation by Mark and Kym Hilinski, who will pay tribute to their son Tyler, a student-athlete who tragically took his own life in 2018. The Hilinski’s Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established to promote awareness and education on mental health and wellness for student-athletes and aims to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.
Following the Hilinski’s presentation, a panel discussion will be held, featuring Dayton head coach Anthony Grant and his wife Chris, along with other distinguished panelists. The discussion will be moderated by Tony Coder, Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). Panelists include:
– Anthony and Chris Grant
– Mark and Kym Hilinski, Hilinski’s Hope Foundation
– Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, Director of Ohio Department of Health (ODH)
– Dr. James Houle, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State
– Dr. Wayne Chappelle, Clinical-Sports Psychologist and TeamHealth Medical Consortium
– Brandon Saho, Host of the Mental Game Podcast
– Charlie Pope, Survivor and Mental Health Advocate, and Tiffany Pope, Mental Health Advocate
– Kelly Blankenship, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Behavioral Health at Dayton Children’s Hospital
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions online, and an electronic question and answer session will be part of the panel discussion. Local mental health organizations in the Dayton area will be present on the concourse before and after the program to provide information about their services and programs.
While addressing mental health across all age groups is vital, this program will specifically focus on the mental health needs of adolescents and young adults. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to assess the appropriateness of the content for their adolescent’s age and development level.
Additionally, a separate event will be announced at UD Arena on Friday, designed to enhance understanding, empathy, and advocacy by educating the community about available mental health resources and services, while also shedding light on recovery and mental wellness.
Charity exhibition game tickets will be included as part of the Dayton season ticket package, with the sale of single-game tickets to be announced. The town hall event is free and open to the public.
