It was around a year ago when West Ranch High School student Ethan Park lost two of his family members to suicide. Amid his grief, he decided to take initiative: He started a tennis tournament that same year to raise funds and awareness about mental health, and to let people know that they are not alone.
“I think channeling my grief into something positive, like this event, is so important to me for this community,” Park said. “I want people to know that there’s help out there, that there’s resources, there’s counselors. Let your voice out.”
On Saturday, Sept. 7, Park and other students hosted their second “Game. Set. Hope.” charity event at the tennis courts at West Ranch High School, where event sponsors provided participants with free food and a chance to win prizes.
The event also featured guest speaker Dustin Kua, a former Division 1 collegiate tennis athlete.
Park said that the event was held around September last year, to honor World Suicide Prevention Day. They were able to raise $7,000 last year for the Jet Foundation.
This year, Park said that “Game. Set. Hope.” is raising funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
He said that the idea for the event stemmed out of his love for tennis.
“[Tennis] just requires so much skill and resiliency,” Park said. “And I think the mental part is the most important part of tennis. The ability to persevere and overcome points that you’ve lost and games that you’ve lost. I think that’s why I stuck with it. I’ve been playing the sport for seven years.”
The organization’s team is made up of five students, including Park and his sister Maddie, who have contributed to the planning of the event.
West Ranch High School Principal Robert Fisher was also present at the tournament and said that he admired the students for taking initiative for putting together an event like “Game. Set. Hope.”
“It’s remarkable that they have the foresight and the drive to want to do something to make a difference in the community for an important cause,” Fisher said. “Ethan, Arav, Luke and Zach have done all of the work. This goes back to last year and they’ve continued that legacy.”
Fisher said that he felt it was important to help support the students in organizing the event for the community.
“[Students] go through a lot of social pressures, anxiety and mental health concerns,” Fisher said. “Our students know what they are going through and the struggles that are out there. I think it’s important to help them facilitate something like this to help support the community and help support their friends and family. It’s just an important cause and we all need to do our part.”
More information about the organization can be found at gamesethope.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can obtain help and support by calling or texting the 988 Suicide and Crisis lifeline. You can also find more resources on the city of Santa Clarita website at santaclarita.gov/mental-health-resources.
