DC Wildcats honors Aidan’s Light at Mental Health Awareness game

Shortly after the death of her son Aidan, Jennifer Hegge said the charity organization Aidan’s Light was formed.
“ We formed our charity after losing our 17-year-old son, Aidan, to suicide on July 27, 2020,” Hegge said.
Last Saturday, the organization was at the Dodge County Wildcat Girls hockey game, to help bring more awareness.
“The first time the Dodge County Wildcat Girls Hockey chose our charity to donate to and bring more awareness to mental health was in 2022 by Aidan’s classmates he would have graduated with,” Hegge said. “They have honored and chosen us every season since then. It is very special and we are so grateful.
Since being formed, the organization has helped in a number of different ways, including helping to start a Mental Health Awareness club at Kasson-Mantorville High School.
“We focus on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially in our youth. We formed our charity 3.5 years ago,” Hegge said. “We needed to do something to focus our grief and make a difference so no other family has to feel the pain of losing a loved one to suicide.”
Since being formed, the organization has brought in speakers to different schools, and have brought the documentary “My Ascension” and Emma Benoit, whom the movie is about. The documentary has been brought to seven different schools so far, and Hegge said they have plans to bring her to 10 more schools in 2025.
“We also follow families in their grief journeys affected by suicide by sending them gifts for their loved ones birthdays, anniversary of their death, and Christmas,” Hegge said. “We also reach out initially with a letter and suncatcher window sticker so they know they are not alone.”
In addition Hegge said the organization is “actively working on bringing peer driven programs to schools for suicide prevention and mental health (awareness).”