County honors local rugby player, funds youth mental-health program

Hamilton County commissioners recognized Jayla Twitty with a proclamation Feb. 27 honoring her selection as Hamilton County’s first national All‑American in women’s rugby and declaring a county day in her honor. The item was a ceremonial proclamation presented on the dais.

Why it matters: the proclamation highlighted local youth sports achievement and the county’s role in publicly acknowledging residents who reach high levels in athletics.

Jayla Twitty addressed the commissioners briefly and thanked them, saying she hopes to inspire other girls in Cincinnati to take up the sport and that she will return to contribute to local programs after her professional career.

The board also received a presentation from Dr. Katrina Wyche of Love You to Life, a behavioral-health program that received county funding through the county’s Inspire initiative. Dr. Wyche described a Poise to Perfection brunch held in August that provided four workshops for young women — leadership presence, healthy relationships, positive self‑esteem and maintaining mental health and wellness — and said roughly 25 young women attended with additional family members present. The program used grant funds to offer mental-health services, scholarships and stipends for underinsured or uninsured young people who needed services.

Dr. Wyche said Love You to Life used the county grant to connect teens with community mental-health resources, to provide short-term services where needed and to offer scholarships to help young people return to school. She provided contact information for the program to commissioners.

What’s next: commissioners congratulated Twitty and encouraged continued outreach to expand girls’ rugby locally. The board thanked Dr. Wyche and noted the county will continue to track results from the Inspire initiative grants.