It’s a free event. Doors open at 5 p.m. when there will be a mental health resource fair and a meet and greet with the Dayton men’s basketball players. The event begins at 6 p.m. and will conclude at approximately 8:30 p.m.
The Spotlight will honor the memory of the Grant’s late daughter Jay, who died in 2022, and “champion adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention. The evening will spotlight and drive awareness and education of mental health and wellness in adolescents and young adults.”
The event starts three days before the Dayton and Ohio State men’s basketball teams play an exhibition game at UD Arena on Oct. 22 to to benefit the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio.
“The purpose is to educate, advocate and support,” Dayton Athletic Director Neil Sullivan said, “and help individuals and families who are battling some of these challenges that seem to be growing and trying to raise some money to increase access to mental health services in Ohio and throughout the country.”
The highlight of the event will be a presentation by Mark and Kym Hilinski, who founded Hilinski’s Hope Foundation after their son Tyler, a quarterback at Washington State University, died by suicide in 2018.
A panel discussion including the Grants will follow. Tony Coder, the Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, will moderate the discussion. Coder interviewed Grant in May when he first talked publicly about Jay’s death.
Other participants in the discussion include: the Hilinskis; Bruce Vanderhoff, the director of the Ohio Department of Health; Dr. James Houle, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State; Dr. Wayne Chappelle, clinical-sports psychologist to collegiate and professional athletes, and TeamHealth Medical Consortium; Brandon Saho, host of the Mental Game Podcast; Charlie Pope and Tiffany Pope, mental health advocates; and Kelly Blankenship, associate chief medical officer in behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
“As coach Grant says, we’re trying to bring purpose to the pain for a number of people,” Sullivan said. “If you can help a couple families, that’s what everybody’s goal is. There’s been a tremendous partnership of people. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of CareSource — they’ve been remarkable — and, of course, Ohio State. We’ve got some alums and other people on a committee behind the scenes helping. It’s really a premier event if you look at the lineup of speakers and the panelists. It could be a really good opportunity to help some people.”
According to a press release, “Attendees will be invited to submit questions online and there will be an electronic question and answer as part of the discussion by the panelists. Local mental health organizations throughout the Dayton area will be on the concourse before and after the program for attendees to learn about services and programs.
While supporting the mental health of people of all ages is critical, this program will focus on the mental health needs of adolescents and young adults. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to determine appropriateness for an adolescent’s age and development level.”
Dayton will also hold a separate event Oct. 20 at UD Arena. It “will offer experiences that will drive understanding, empathy and advocacy to educate the community about the mental health resources and services available and shine a light on recovery and mental wellness.”
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