The progress made by Hilinski’s Hope since coming across the country
For a year and a half, Hilinski’s Hope has been bi-coastal, in a manner of speaking. The Hilinski family made their move from California to Columbia, South Carolina, four of them, carrying with them the memory of a fifth.
But the mission of the foundation created in part to honor the memory of Tyler Hilinski doesn’t, hasn’t and won’t change.
“It’s grown,” Kym Hilinski said. “It’s grown a lot. We visited. We think we added up 60-plus schools. We shared our story and our journey with so many people.”
The foundation that supports mental health for college student-athletes has, to a degree, evolved and shifted.
There is something tangible in the work Mark and Kym Hilinski do. When the parents of Gamecocks quarterback Ryan Hilinski go out and speak to groups, share the story of son Tyler, a Washington State quarterback who committed suicide in early 2018, they might stand in front of people, but that’s just a start.
They interact, converse, have eye contact and share conversations.
And working around the social distancing with the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a few things.
“It’s more effective in person,” Mark Hilinski said. “But we’ve gotten a lot better at Zoom.”
Kym Hilinksi joked those early tries at being virtual were a bit of an adventure. She also said not having teams all together has made some of their sessions harder to hold.
They did get out and speak at a football camp this past weekend. They planned to speak to counselors in the state on Monday at Camden High School. And there’s the hope to get that kind of real contact with student-athletes soon enough.
They’ve also started a few new avenues to share Tyler’s story, including a podcast hosted by Dr. Josie Nicholson, a sports psychologist at Ole Miss. The “Unit3d” podcast focuses on issues around student-athletes and has included the likes of Gamecocks beach volleyball player Franky Harrison, ESPN’s Ivan Maisel and numerous other voices speaking on an array of mental health topics for student-athletes. They also held a “3 for 3” burpee challenge in May for Mental Health Awareness Month and played a role in starting College Football Mental Health Week.
That week will start Oct. 3 or 3Day (going off Tyler Hilinski’s No. 3) and run through Oct. 10, which is World Mental Health Day. Several schools are involved, including Alabama, BYU, Middle Tennessee State, South Carolina and others, and they will take actions from hosting speakers to wearing lime green ribbon helmet stickers (to raise awareness) to hosting speakers to playing in-stadium PSAs about raising three fingers at the start of the third quarter for Tyler.
The family has also worked with a research group from UNC-Greensboro to develop evidence-based programs to improve on what they’re already doing.
Mark Hilinski said the idea for the College Football Mental Health Week came from a Gamecocks fan in Toronto, Canada who sent it to Ryan Hilinski.
The second-year Gamecocks quarterback holds a role of note in the solar system that is the foundation. Kym Hilinski admitted she tries to protect him, as any mother would. He has football, classes, the responsibilities and habits of someone in their late teens.
But he always is around to suggest things or help. His parents at one point suggested getting him a new phone number. Ryan Hilinski has given his number out often, fields messages from folks on that and across social media. He often has provided an ear for someone who wants to talk or recorded a motivational video when asked.
He said he wanted to keep the number, wanted to be there for folks who might be struggling.
“He said, ‘Dad, what if Tyler had one guy he could call?’” Mark Hilinski said.
Kym added, “It helps us to help people, and I think it does the same for Ryan.”
The 2020 football season remains very up in the air, with the coronavirus pandemic surging. Things will almost assuredly change, making the prospects for Ryan Hilinski’s second year in garnet and black an interesting one.
But his family, his parents, his oldest brother Kelly and he will keep on their mission to speak a message.
They came from California to Columbia, becoming bi-coastal in the process. Despite the change in scenery, the goal doesn’t change, it only grows and evolves.
“The natural progression of a nonprofit is sort of adaptive and reactive to certain things,” Mark Hilinski said. “But we had our mission, and we’re fulfilling that.
“I think maybe the way to think about it is, we didn’t have to change a thing when we got here. It just continued to grow and evolve and all the love and support we got from the South Carolina fans, of the football team and of Hilinski’s Hope and of Tyler, that support allowed us to continue.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 5:10 AM.
