Mark and Kym Hilinski, who created a foundation in the name of their son to raise mental health awareness, have been honored with one of three Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Awards, ESPN announced Sunday.
The award is part of the Sports Humanitarian Awards, which typically are handed out during the week of the ESPYs. This year, the awards will be given out on various ESPN programs.
The Hilinskis' son Tyler was a quarterback at Washington State who took his own life in January 2018. He was 21. The family, including Tyler's brothers Kelly and Ryan, responded by creating Hilinski's Hope Foundation, which works with colleges and universities throughout the country on mental wellness programs for student athletes.
The foundation has raised more than a half-million dollars to create the programs. The foundation has visited and sent mental health professionals to more than 50 schools thus far, as well as participating in more than 20 conferences -- reaching 50,000 people.
The foundation says it "envisions a world where mental health is supported in parity with physical health and equally prioritized by universities as connected to athletic performance."