Sunshine From Darkness to Host Pair of Special Events This Fall

May 24, 2021 – Sarasota

Sunshine from Darkness, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to the funding of mental health research and local mental health services and programs, announced its 2021 Inspiring Hope Dinner and Journey to Wellness Symposium events on November 12 and 13.

The Journey to Wellness Symposium will, once again, feature a lineup of top-flight professionals. Speakers include: Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, director of psychology and neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; Joyce Carter, PsyD, LMHC, director of wellness at Resilient Retreat; Dr. Myrna Weissman, Diane Goldman Kemper Family Professor in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University; Eli Lebowitz, Ph.D., Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center; and Dr. Michael Bloch, co-founder of the Pediatric Depression Clinic at the Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center. The symposium will be moderated by Andrea Blanch, Ph.D., Consultant, Here4Youth.

A topic of particular concern this year will be youth mental health. Scheduled for Saturday, November 13 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency (1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota), the symposium is free and open to the public. Continuing education credits are available for healthcare professionals. 

The Inspiring Hope Dinner, themed “Striking Out the Stigma of Mental Illness,” will recognize and feature legendary New York baseball star Darryl Strawberry and Steve Ford, actor and son of former President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit First Step of Sarasota and The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Co-chairs are Taylor Karp Teymuri and Sarah Karp. The event takes place on Friday, November 12, 6:30 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota (1111 Ritz-Carlton Dr.).

Darryl Strawberry played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with both the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. His many accomplishments in the major leagues include four World Series titles and eight All-Star Game appearances. In 2004, he was nominated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In spite of his many successes on the field, Strawberry learned first-hand that depression doesn’t discriminate. People of all ages, genders, ethnicities, cultures, and religions can suffer from depressive illnesses. More than 19 million American adults in the United States suffer from some type of depressive illness each year. Strawberry’s story of childhood abuse, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction and, ultimately, his recovery, has inspired audiences across the nation.

Steve Ford has 25 years of sobriety and recovered from a dual diagnosis of both addiction and depression. He has spoken to hundreds of groups with a transparent but hopeful message of recovery. He walks audiences through his own journey to recovery in an open manner, similar to his mother, Betty Ford.

“The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our plans for these events in 2020, leading to their unfortunate cancellation just days before they were to take place,” said Sunshine from Darkness President Jeffrey Peterson. “We’re still feeling the effects of the pandemic and research is showing that the impacts on mental health have been significant. We know that the mental health research and the services we support are needed now more than ever.”

To learn more, including sponsorship and ticket information, visit SunshinefromDarkness.org.