“Life is better with you here.”
That message from Anthony Grant, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Dayton, was one of the messages of hope that more than 1,600 students from 28 Dayton-area middle and high schools heard at a pep rally for mental health at UD Arena.
The event was hosted by Dayton-based health insurer CareSource and University of Dayton Athletics. In between basketball-related challenges for the students, which they got to play with members of the Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team, speakers reinforced the message, “It’s okay to not be okay,” and encouraged students to ask for help when needed.
“There are people out there and resources that are available if and when you’re struggling,” said Christine ‘“Chris” Grant, Anthony Grant’s wife. Together they started Jay’s Light, a mental health and suicide prevention initiative created in honor of their daughter, Jayda, who died by suicide on May 30, 2022.
Anybody going through a mental health crisis can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In Ohio, the state offers Mobile Response and Stabilization Services that can be accessed through calling 988. The mobile response services are part of the state’s free, statewide crisis support program for children, teens, and young adults aged 20 and under who are experiencing overwhelming mental, emotional, or behavioral distress.
“Mental health matters just as much as physical health, and young people need to hear that from the people they look up to,” said Scott Markovich, CareSource executive vice president, markets and products. “Bringing students together at UD Arena makes these conversations a little easier to start. We want every student to leave knowing that they don’t have to face hard moments alone and that it’s OK to not be OK.”
CareSource also awarded $10,000 to each of three Dayton-area schools to support mental health programming through Healthy Minds, Bright Futures, a program funded by the CareSource Foundation. The schools receiving grants were National Trail Local Schools, West Carrollton Middle School, and Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School.
Those funds will be invested in programs at those schools that support mental health, Markovich said.
“I’ve learned different ways to connect to different people who are also in the same situation as me,” Alex Roberts, a student at DECA High School, said about the mental health pep rally. “It kind of was a relief to know that other people are going through things that I’m going through, and it also gave me an outlet to know who I can trust, especially the adults who are here to help with my journey.”
CareSource and Dayton Men’s Basketball will again partner to host Notre Dame in a charity exhibition game 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at UD Arena, 1801 S. Edwin C Moses Blvd., Dayton. The game will benefit Jay’s Light and support awareness of adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention, marking the fourth year of the partnership.
