K-Staters shine a spotlight on community mental health through LightMHK
By Ashley Pauls
K-State Alumni Association
Although she had recently retired, when Jill Jacoby ’80, ’88 saw a job listing for
the role of LightMHK program director, she knew she had found her next calling.
LightMHK is a Manhattan-based nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of
and access to mental health care.
“I saw this and thought, ‘Oh, what a perfect job,’” said Jacoby, who has a background
in horticultural therapy and social work. “Back in mental health, decreasing barriers
for people that might need services and otherwise might not get them, decreasing the
stigma in the community.”
Jacoby is one of a number of K-Staters involved with LightMHK, including board member
Cheryl Grice ’05, ’11, who also serves as K-State’s director of community engagement
in the Office of the President.
For Grice, the mission of LightMHK hits at a deeply personal level, and she hopes
the organization can help improve community members’ well-being and save lives.
“When you look at the number of individuals that I know personally who have lost loved
ones to suicide, it's too many,” she said. “It leaves you speechless. As a community,
we need to provide what’s now necessities as far as well-being, as well as accessible
resources.”
LightMHK had previously operated under a different name associated with a single mental
health practice. The organization relaunched in 2024 under a new name with an expanded
mission covering mental health services for all ages across the greater Manhattan
area (including Wamego and Junction City).
The organization awards grants to local mental health professionals to help cover
patient care costs and strengthen their programs, and also to community organizations
to support projects promoting mental health.
“Mental health is one of the basic needs, along with food, housing, education, employment,”
Jacoby said. “Because if you don't have good mental health, it's really difficult
to function in any of those areas.”
Access and awareness
Both Grice and Jacoby have deep roots in the Manhattan community. Grice and her family
have lived here for the past 30 years, and Jacoby worked in community mental health
as a social worker for about 23 years, and then served as executive director of the
Manhattan Area Housing Partnership.
Jacoby said that even though more people are openly talking about mental health now,
barriers to accessing mental health care still exist, and there is unfortunately a
lingering sense of stigma.
“Mental health is still a challenge,” Jacoby said. “People can't afford to seek services,
they're afraid to seek services. The barriers we decrease [through LightMHK] are,
we can assist people with high deductibles or no insurance at all. There shouldn't
be barriers for mental health care just because people can't afford it. If they don't
have support, it's frightening, and people can feel alone, fearful and isolated.”
As an employee of K-State working in community engagement, Grice is excited about
how LightMHK can help meet the needs of the Manhattan area’s diverse population, including
undergraduates, military families, caregivers for aging parents, graduate students
with families, and more.
Like Jacoby, Grice is dedicated to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care.
“If you have a toothache, you go to the dentist, right?” she said. “If anything else
hurts you, you go and you get medical attention. So if things are not well or are
unsettled, we need to go just as quickly to get that checked out.”
She also encourages people to reach out and offer help if they see a family member,
friend or colleague who may be struggling, similar to the way you wouldn’t just ignore
a person having visible symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.
“If you can't talk about it with people that can help you, you're still going to struggle,”
Jacoby said. “It's challenging, and people sometimes don't understand it and think,
‘Oh, they're just lazy,’ while it might be severe depression. It can be scary. But
I think people talk about it more, and it helps that famous people have shared their
own personal mental health journey. Everybody knows somebody that has been impacted
by mental health challenges.”
Making a difference
Jacoby is hopeful that as LightMHK continues to grow, the organization will be able
to provide even more grants and identify other areas of the population that are in
need of services.
“We're getting testimonials now from therapists and even the clients, how having the
grant to help them stay in services has impacted their life,” Jacoby said. “Those
are so meaningful, to know that you've made a difference for people.”
One of the organizations that has already benefitted is the K-State Family Center, which received a LightMHK grant in May 2025. The Family Center training clinic is
part of the master’s and doctorate Couple and Family Therapy programs at K-State.
“We provide systemically-oriented therapy that focuses on the needs of individuals
within the context of relationships and families,” said Patricia Barros ’10, ’12,
’15, clinic director at the Family Center. “We are very pleased the LightMHK grant
will allow us to offer up to 10 free therapy sessions to up to 25 low-income couples
and families. Given current financial challenges that so many families are experiencing
in our community, we are glad the therapist-interns at the Family Center will be able
to provide some high-quality service.”
Want to learn more about LightMHK or their upcoming benefit gala “The Light Within”
at the K-State Alumni Center?