Hilinski's Hope announces 9 SEC schools to participate in Mental Health Week
Saturday Down South
Hilinski’s Hope Foundation (H3H), founded by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the legacy of their son Tyler, announced this week that 16 schools, including nine from the SEC, are slated to participate in the inaugural #3DAY and College Football Mental Health Awareness Week. The week will focus on a series of mental health initiatives, kicking off with #3DAY on October 3, which will honor Tyler, those lost, and those suffering, and will culminate with World Mental Health Day on October 10.
As of Monday, 6 schools from around the country have committed to participating, including Brigham Young University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Clemson University, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, North Dakota State University, Sacramento State, Texas A&M, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, University of Mississippi, University of Missouri, University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.
“It’s been really special to see college campuses nationwide come together and support mental health in collegiate athletics since we first launched the #3DAY initiative,” said Mark Hilinski. “#3DAY will be an emotional yet powerful day as schools, fans, students, and parents join us in the fight against mental illness and pledge to be change agents around mental health. The discussions that continue to take place across athletic departments are so crucial for student-athletes and we know Tyler would be so proud of the progress we’ve made, but there is still more work to be done.”
Participating schools have committed to at least one of the following on #3DAY: showcasing a lime green ribbon on all players helmets with a “3” in the middle to honor Tyler Hilinski and remember those lost and those suffering in silence; encouraging students, parents, alumni, and fans to participate in showing solidarity, eliminating stigma around mental health by holding three fingers in the sky during the first play of the third quarter; participating in an internal assessment to evaluate how universities are following best practices in terms of mental health programs and include talks and trainings on campus for players, coaches, and staff.
As part of the week’s core programming, Hilinski’s Hope is partnering with the Institute to Promote Athlete Health and Wellness (IPAHW) and Prevention Strategies to offer a free livestream event open to schools interested in discussing mental health in collegiate athletics and learning about the latest resources developed in partnership with NCAA Sports Science Institute. This event will take place on October 6 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, and schools can RSVP here. Fans wanting to participate in #3DAY can head to social media on October 3 and use the hashtag #MentalHealthMatters to showcase why mental health matters to them. They can also post a picture in a Mental Health Matters t-shirt and/or share a photo raising three fingers representing a stand in solidarity against mental illness stigma and to honor those lost in the fight.
To learn more and/or get involved with #3DAY and Hilinski’s Hope Foundation visit https://hilinskishope.org/3day/.
