Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ryan and Christina Day have joined On Our Sleeves™, the movement to transform childhood mental health developed by Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Today, they announced the creation of The Ryan and Christina Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Day’s bold commitment will extend their social mission to one of the most significant issues facing children and young adults by increasing education, advocacy and fundraising.

The topic of mental health and wellness is deeply meaningful for the Days. They, like so many others, have been impacted by the loss of a family member to suicide. Ryan Day’s father died by suicide in 1988 and as a result, they are passionate about supporting mental health advocacy, behavioral health research and prevention efforts. Ryan and Christina also have committed a personal contribution of $100,000 with the unveiling of the Fund.

“We are excited to join the national On Our Sleeves movement in support of children and young adults living with mental illness,” said Ryan Day, head coach of The Ohio State University football team. “There is a vitally important connection between mental health and physical health and we want to help children and young adults who do not wear their thoughts on their sleeves when it comes to mental health issues.”

“When Ryan and I first heard about On Our Sleeves, we immediately knew we wanted to be part of the movement,” said Christina Day. “We look forward to making an impact and starting a conversation about our children’s mental health both locally and nationally about an often overlooked and vastly underfunded component of pediatric health. By raising our voices about this vital cause, we can help reduce the stigma and make an impact for children and adolescents who need help.”

“We are grateful for this generous commitment from the Day family,” said Steve Testa, president of Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation. “This fund will have a lasting impact for children and adolescents living with a mental illness, an area that has traditionally been underfunded. By joining our movement, Coach Day and Christina are helping to break stigmas, improve prevention activities, enhance clinical care, and create a brighter tomorrow for children and families.”

To donate and learn more about The Ryan and Christina Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness, visit onoursleeves.org/dayfamilyfund.

If you or your child need immediate help due to having suicidal thoughts, go to your local emergency room immediately, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or you can reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741.

About On Our Sleeves
Because kids don’t wear their thoughts on their sleeves, we don’t know what they might be going through. That’s why Nationwide Children’s Hospital launched On Our Sleeves to build a community of support for children living with mental illness through advocacy, education and fundraising for much-needed research. For more information about children’s mental health and to help break the silence and stigma around mental illness, visit OnOurSleeves.org.

About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2018-19 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.4 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.