WINNSBORO – Catherine Blair Spires, a member of the Richard Winn volleyball team, partnered with Hilinski’s Hope last week during a game against Laurens Academy, which coincided with Student-Athlete Mental Health Awareness week.
Spires said that her goal was to raise more awareness about mental health. “It’s okay to not be okay, and it’s okay to reach out if you don’t feel okay,” she said in a speech before the game.
Spires and the team gave away materials from the organization at the entrance to the game.
Hilinski’s Hope was started by former University of South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski and his family after Ryan’s brother Tyler, a quarterback at Washington State University, took his own life.
Since Tyler’s death, the Hilinski family has worked to increase the scale of mental wellness programs for student-athletes by sharing Tyler’s story, connecting students with mental health resources and assisting universities in institutionalizing best practices.
Spires’s brother, Drew, partnered with Hilinski’s Hope last fall during a Richard Winn football game.
