When Tyler Hilinski passed away in January of 2018 his parents Mark and Kym set out to create an organization that would raise mental health awareness for student-athletes. The Hilinski’s Hope Foundation has raised more than half a million dollars towards creating mental wellness programs for student-athletes across the country and on Sunday evening it was announced by ESPN that Hilinski’s Hope was one of the recipients of the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award.
The award was created in honor of former ESPN anchor Stuart Scott who battled cancer until his passing in 2015. According to ESPN, the award “celebrates people that have taken risk and used an innovative approach to helping the disadvantaged through the power of sports.