The Spotlight Town Hall takes place 11 days before a charity exhibition game on Oct. 20 between the Dayton Flyers and Xavier Musketeers at UD Arena.
According to a UD press release, the event will honor Jay Grant, the late daughter of Dayton Flyers men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant. She died by suicide in 2022 at 20. The event will “champion adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention. The evening will spotlight, educate and drive awareness on mental health and wellness in adolescents and young adults.”
The first Spotlight was held a year ago three days before a charity exhibition game between Dayton and Ohio State.
This year, the town hall will start with a mental health resource fair and a meet and greet with Dayton men’s basketball players. Doors at the arena open at 5:30 p.m. There will be exhibits by local organizations that support mental health and substance abuse initiatives.
The program will run from 7-8:30 p.m. Gloria Umanah will deliver the keynote address. According to a UD press release, Umanah “became passionate about fighting for those who feel invisible and cultivating a desire for greater purpose beyond circumstances within individuals. Gloria has partnered with organizations all over the world, telling beautiful and powerful stories of hope and redemption.”
There will also be a panel discussion that includes: Grant and his wife Chris; Umanah; Kelly Blankenship, Associate Chief Medical Officer of behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital; Tia Marcel Moretti, Chief Advisor for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; and other adolescent mental health advocates.
Brandon Saho, host of the Mental Game podcast, will moderate the panel discussion. He also participated in the first Spotlight on Mental Health.
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