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Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. It was initially founded in Utah by Dr. Gregory A. Hudnall, a high school principal. After experiencing two suicides a year for over 12 years, Hudnall decided to do something about it. The goal of Hope Squad is to prevent youth suicides by educating and spreading suicide awareness. Hope Squad members are trained on suicide and how/what to do if you are personally experiencing it or witnessing someone else struggling. Hope Squad members are in place to connect individuals struggling and a trusted adult. They are not counselors or therapists but trusted friends. This is why he started Hope Squad; over the years, data has shown that it significantly affects the students.

After losing their son, Jack, to suicide, Mike and Lisa Meehan learned of Hope Squad and thought it would be perfect to start a Westside branch. Hope Squad’s first year at Westside was in 2021, and it has taken off. Thanks in part to the money and support raised by the tournament, nearly a hundred students have joined, and it has become a massive part of extracurriculars at Westside. A new branch was recently established at Westside's Middle School, and branches will extend to District 66 Elementary Schools in the coming years.