DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – CareSource, the University of Dayton, and Anthony and Chris Grant held a mental health pep rally on Thursday, encouraging today’s youth to speak up if they ever need help.
Three schools each received a $10,000 grant for writing an essay explaining what it would do with the money to support mental health programs.
Those grants went to West Carrollton Middle School, National Trail School District, and Chaminade Julienne High School, but many more schools attended the rally to focus on one thing: breaking the stigma around mental health.
Guest speakers, such as Dayton Men’s Basketball Coach Anthony Grant, spoke to students on how they can not only help themselves, but others who may be battling an internal struggle.
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Grant lost his daughter, Jayda, to mental health struggles, and he now partners with CareSource to run events like this to make sure kids know they are being seen.
According to organizers, they want students to know that help is available to them whenever they need it. All they have to do is just ask.
“We want to make sure that these kids understand that there are resources available, whether it’s at the school, 988, or counselors,” said Scott Markovich, CareSource executive vice president. “We’re just trying to really break the stigma around mental health and really get them to understand that it’s okay to not be okay.”
The number one thing organizers wanted students to leave knowing is that they can break the stigma of asking for help with their mental health.