Kevin Hall, president of Grant Halliburton Foundation; Solomon Thomas; Dak Prescott; Vanita Halliburton, co-founder of Grant Halliburton Foundation; Amy McCloskey, senior director of events at Grant Halliburton Foundation. Photo courtesy of Simon Luna.

Dallas Cowboys player Dak Prescott and New York Jets player Solomon Thomas got deep down and personal during the Grant Halliburton Foundation’s Beacon of Hope Community Luncheon on March 7.

The fundraising luncheon supports the Grant Halliburton Foundation’s work providing education, resources and support for children and young adult’s mental health and suicide prevention in North Texas.

Both Prescott and Thomas have done work off the field in the community raising awareness on mental health and suicide.

Prescott has shared his own struggles with mental health in the past and established Faith Fight Finish Foundation in honor of his late mom, Peggy, and brother, Jace, who committed suicide in 2020.

“When my brother died, I went back to my room and wrote down – one life lost for thousands
more saved,” Prescott said.

On the other hand, Thomas, a Dallas native, lost his sister, Ella, to suicide and co-founded The Defensive Line with his parents. The organization focuses on mental health and suicide prevention.

“Ask people not how they are doing, but how are you really doing,” Thomas said.

Grant Halliburton Foundation staff. Photo courtesy of Simon Luna.

Three students also took the stage for a discussion with the two men about mental health and suicide awareness.

Vanita Halliburton, Grant Halliburton Foundation co-founder and executive chairwoman, spoke about the organization she co-founded after losing her son Grant to suicide 17 years ago and the state of mental health in young people.

“GHF [Grant Halliburton Foundation] was meant to be a wellspring of information, guidance, resources and encouragement for those engaged in the fight for someone’s mental health—for themselves or for someone they care about,” Halliburton said.

The luncheon chairs  were The Conly Family—Jeanie and Bert Conly and their children, Lindsey and Aaron Berg, Mark Briscoe, and Kendall and Luke Cagle— with Barb Farmer as the founding luncheon chair. Sounds for the event were provided by DJ Lucy Wrubel.

More details on the event and foundation can be found here.