Grant from Widger Family Foundation to Support UVA Mental-Health Initiative
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia athletics department announced today (April 25) a grant from the Widger Family Foundation that will help fund its WINS (Wellness In Sport) initiative to support Cavalier student-athletes, coaches and staff. The grant will provide funding for the UVA sports psychology department for a postdoctoral fellowship and enhance education, training and services to grow team cultures that advocate for and promote wellness and respect the need for self-care.
“We are incredibly grateful for our meaningful and open conversations with the Widger Family Foundation about prioritizing wellness for student-athletes,” said Dr. Jason Freeman, the UVA athletics department’s sports psychologist. “Valuing the entire personhood of our student-athletes has been a cornerstone of our athletics department for many years. Our department has consistently been a leader in caring for the mental health of its student-athletes. The Widger Family Foundation’s vision and thoughtfulness in the WINS grant will advance our education, training and service to our student-athletes, with a truly life-enhancing impact.”
The Virginia sports psychology department has been a part of the UVA athletics department for more than 20 years. Its mission is to promote mental well-being, safety and optimal performance in all aspects of student-athlete life. Its priority is personhood, followed by the student and athlete identities.
The WINS initiative is designed to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and increase comfort for mental health-related concerns and focuses on education and awareness training.
The postdoctoral fellowship allows sports psychology to educate future mental health providers while increasing access to and utilization of mental health and wellness resources by Cavalier student-athletes. The inaugural postdoctoral fellow is Ellie Brown, MA.
Year one for the WINS initiative will impact roughly 200 UVA student-athletes. The impact will be through education using Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings and collaborative design of stress management fidgets with UVA branding. Impact will also be through the clinical/counseling services of the postdoc.
The goal is for the WINS initiative and the postdoctoral fellow to impact and serve all 750+ of Virginia’s student-athletes from 27 women’s and men’s teams, select coaches and direct service staff (e.g., sports medicine, sports nutrition, academic support and strength and conditioning coaches) by reducing stigma and promoting healthy culture development.
“Having competed as a student-athlete at the University, I understand how necessary it is to give our young athletes the mental and behavioral health support services they need in tandem with those related to their athletics and studies,” said Ashley Widger-Kaplow. “Neither the student nor the athlete can exist to their fullest and brightest potential without an understanding of and support for their mental health.
“Our family aims to work with passionate and disruptive thought leaders striving to invest in change, and we can’t speak highly enough about Dr. Jason Freeman, as well as his partners Dr. Toni Harris and Dr. Karen Egan, for their tireless work in support of our student-athlete’s entire well-being. They are thoughtful, intentional, strategic leaders bringing much needed and differentiated support services to our remarkable student-athletes. We couldn’t be more grateful for the work they are doing. And while this collaborative project starts with a handful of teams, our hope is that others will work to support and scale WINS across the entirety of Virginia Athletics.”
Widger-Kaplow was a standout lacrosse player at Virginia, earning first-team All-America honors in 1999. She received the athletic department’s Craig Fielder Memorial Award in 2000 which recognizes a student-athlete who best demonstrates the qualities of leadership in character and sportsmanship, unwavering competitive spirit, and untiring determination in overcoming adversity.
“We’re incredibly grateful that the Widger family not only sees the value that this brings to our student-athletes, but also for the investment that they have made to ensure that all UVA student-athletes receive exceptional mental and behavioral health support,” said Kevin Miller, executive director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation. “Having a strong mental health program is paramount to aligning our student-athletes’ personal, academic, and athletic identities.”
The Widger Family Foundation, based in Greater Philadelphia, was established in 2019 by Charles and Barbara Widger. The Foundation is committed to creating value for people through philanthropy that reflects essential aspirations and experiences. Building on success in the field of investment management, the Foundation supports programs and organizations that embrace innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in mental and behavioral health services, education and economic revitalization.