This fall, LSU’s College of Music and Dramatic Arts is set to welcome the campus’s third embedded therapist, joining the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College. The new full-time position is located within the CMDA, ensuring shorter wait times for students seeking mental health resources, thanks to support from the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund.

After losing their son, Matthew Bahlinger, to suicide in 2022, Bert and Alice Bahlinger founded the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund with the goal of providing mental health resources to members of the Tiger Band, which Matthew, along with two of their three daughters, marched in while attending LSU. That August, they hosted the first Matt’s Dinner, which provides hot meals for the hundreds of Tiger Band hopefuls participating in the grueling Band Week training and auditions. With donations from sponsors including Raising Cane’s, Walk-Ons and Texas Roadhouse, where Matthew worked, and the help of dozens of volunteers, Matt’s Dinner feeds the more than 350 Band Camp attendees, section leaders and staff members. “For many of them, it’s the only good meal they get all week,” says Bert, who works year-round to secure donations and coordinate with volunteers to orchestrate a swift and successful operation year after year.

“Matthew always gave his free meals away during every shift he worked, knowing other people needed it more than he did,” Bert says. “We wanted to do something that he would have done.”

Remembering that simple act became the inspiration for Matt’s Dinner and the catalyst for his legacy. The event’s purpose is multifaceted, and as it has grown over the years, it has evolved into far more than a tasty meal. Donations from the event sponsors have provided funding for part-time therapists dedicated to the Tiger Band, as well as QPR training for section leaders, which teaches them how to identify students who may be struggling and encourage them to seek help. This year, thanks to generous donations and consistent efforts, the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund can support a full-time, embedded therapist serving the CMDA and Tiger Band.

“This is what Matthew needed,” Alice says, noting that since starting the fund, the average wait time for an appointment with a mental health professional has steadily dropped from six weeks to two weeks to days. Now, with the addition of an embedded therapist, walk-in appointments will be available with a licensed therapist, conveniently located in the building where most CMDA students’ classes are held.

The dinner also serves as an opportunity for the prospective Tiger Band members and staff to hear from and meet the mental health professionals. “They’re listening and they’re engaged during the discussion,” Alice says. “It’s refreshing to see them want to learn more, and that seeking mental health resources doesn’t have the stigma it once did.”

Matt’s Dinner is closed to the public, as it is offered following a closed practice. If you are interested in learning more or supporting the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund, follow Matt’s Dinner – Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund on Facebook or visit giveLSU.org to donate.