Behind the Banner - Fall 2023

BEHIND THE BANNER

By Ben Harbuck

By Stephen Evans

8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, while compiling 14 double-doubles, fifth-best in the league, and recording the Wings’ first tripledouble. Her 3-point shooting improved from 23.3% last year to 36.1%this season.

“We struggled a little bit over the years but it’s all about the journey,” Wings superstar Arike Ogunbowale said. “To finally get here, to the semi-finals, after five years being on this team is amazing.”

Ogunbowale has also been a huge cog in the Wings step forward in 2023. In addition to being one of the most entertaining players in the world, Ogunbowale has become a legitimate WNBA star, averaging 21.2 points and 4.5 assists this season.

the pros at home in october

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PRESCOTT CONTINUES MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT WITH HIS WORK OFF THE FIELD

enforcement, youth, and the communities they serve; and offering assistance to those facing lifechallenging hardships.

“As we all know, the past few years have introduced a great number of unprecedented challenges and brought to light deep-rooted societal issues,” Prescott said. “The adversity that I saw taking a toll on the entire country weighed heavily on me, so I decided to broaden the scope of my Faith Fight Finish Foundation in order to embrace causes where I aspire to make a real difference.”

With September being National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation partnered with The Defensive Line, an organization founded by Coppell High School graduate and New York Jets defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, to amplify access to free, aroundthe-clock mental health and crisis support for individuals in need.

Through a series of collaborative initiatives and outreach efforts, the Faith Fight Finish Foundation and The Defensive Line, in collaboration with ASFP, Crisis Text Line, and Vibrant Emotional Health, are working together to expand mental health resources, reduce stigma, and increase awareness about the importance of seeking help during times of crisis. The collaboration represents an unwavering commitment to making crucial support services more accessible and widespread.

Thomas also lost his older sister Ella to suicide in 2018. Suicide is a public health crisis, particularly among our youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2021 more than 40 percent of high school students felt sad or hopeless every day for two or more weeks in a row. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among adolescents after unintentional injury and accounted for approximately one-fifth of all deaths among high school students.

Those are the three words by which Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott lives his life. And for good reason. Those are the three ideals Peggy Prescott, Dak’s mother, forged into Dak since childhood. Dak then saw his mother embody those very ideals during her fight with colon cancer, a battle she ultimately lost in 2013. Dak’s world was again rocked in 2020 when his brother, Jace, was lost to suicide.

to ultimately move past the tragedies in his life.

Today Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation invests in a better future by empowering individuals, families, and communities to find strength through adversity. The foundation, created as a tribute to Dak’s mom, focuses on 4 main initiatives: colon cancer research; mental health and suicide prevention; bridging the gap between law

“No matter what you’re going through, being able to share your thoughts and feelings is critical to your mental well-being,” said Prescott. “After my brother Jace passed away due to suicide, I had to deal with many emotions, but I learned how to cope through the amazing mental health support I received. This is why the nonprofit organization I founded, Faith Fight Finish, focuses on mental illness by helping people always know that they are not alone, that there is help out there to help you get through the darkest moments in your life.”

Faith Fight Finish has also partnered in the past with the Kevin Love Fund, created by NBA superstar Kevin Love, to sponsor a Social Emotional Learning program that focuses on destigmatizing emotions that are often labeled as “negative” and raising awareness for mental health so that young people know that they are not alone in the face of challenging emotions. Faith Fight Finish also actively collaborates with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on its mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss.

For more information about the Faith Fight Finish Foundation and how you can assist Dak Prescott with his important work around suicide prevention and mental health, along with the other three pillars of his foundation, visit www.faithfightfinish.org.