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Naples, Fl – David Lawrence Centers (DLC), Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit mental health and addiction recovery treatment center serving children, adults and families, announced due to the Coronavirus pandemic healthcare guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control, DLC’s signature fundraiser, Sound Minds™ Luncheon, will be rescheduled to November 20, 2020 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples (2600 Tiburon Dr, Naples) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will host former Congressman and mental health advocate Patrick J. Kennedy as the keynote speaker.

The luncheon, being held in partnership with presenting sponsor NCH Healthcare Systems, Inc. and education partner Naples Children & Education Foundation, will be co-chaired by Earle K. Borman, Jr. and Rob and Kate Edwards.

“Florida is last in per capita spending for mental health. My goal is to advocate for change state-wide and generate better support for mental health and addiction treatment,” said Borman. “Bringing a national speaker like Mr. Kennedy can help motivate others to support the quality, recovery-focused services available at DLC.”

For the past six years, David Lawrence Centers has hosted the Sound Minds™ Mental Health Symposium. Past speakers have included a Columbine shooting survivor, a mood disorder expert, as well as national scientists and local mental health advocates.

Patrick Kennedy, the youngest son of the late, former Senator, Ted Kennedy, is best known as the lead author of the groundbreaking Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (Federal Parity Law). He will discuss the unique pressures of growing up in one of America’s most famous families and explore the Kennedy legacy in the arenas of civil rights, mental health, and equality for those with intellectual disabilities.

“To avoid unnecessary loss of life and suffering, as a community, we need to discuss mental health in the same way we do our physical health,” said Rob Edwards. “Mr. Kennedy is unique in that he is able to combine both personal and political experience to help bring mental health out of the shadows and hopefully shift the conversation in Southwest Florida and across the nation.”

Since leaving Congress, Kennedy has dedicated his professional life to advocating for those with mental health and substance use disorders and ensuring that illnesses of the brain, such as depression and addiction, are treated on par with illnesses of the body, such as cancer and diabetes.

“Almost every family in the US is affected by mental illness or addiction,” said Kennedy. “My challenge as a policymaker was the same challenge I personally faced as a patient—how to be comfortable seeking help if the nature of the illness is seen as a moral failing, as a character flaw, or as shameful.”

Immediately following the luncheon will be a VIP Meet the Speaker reception, where sponsors and VIP ticketholders will have an intimate opportunity to meet Mr. Kennedy and receive a signed copy of his New York Times bestselling memoir A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction.

Tickets and Information

Tickets to the luncheon are $275 per person, and VIP tickets are $500 per person. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are also available. CEUs will be provided to Florida state licensed nurses and clinicians (LMHC, LCSW, and LMFT). For more information, visit DLCSoundMinds.org or contact David Lawrence Centers at 239-354-1445 or donorcare@dlcmhc.com.

Sponsors to Date

Earle Borman, Brown & Brown Insurance, Cigna, Thomas Clarke, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, Laird and John Groody, Gulfshore Life, Healthcare Network of SWFL, Naples Daily News, Susan Stielow, Robin Stranahan, Park Royal Hospital, PK Studios and Studio+.

About Patrick J. Kennedy

Patrick J. Kennedy, the youngest son of the late, former Senator, Ted Kennedy, founded The Kennedy Forum in 2013 after serving eight terms in the House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. During his time in Congress, he authored and co-sponsored dozens of bills designed to increase the understanding and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Kennedy is the co-founder of One Mind, a nonprofit that elevates brain research through global investment and open science while convening the best minds to accelerate cures for brain diseases, and co-chair of Mental Health for US, a nonpartisan, educational coalition created to elevate mental health and addiction in policy conversations during the 2020 election cycle. In 2015, he co-authored his New York Times bestselling memoir A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. In 2017, he served on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.

About David Lawrence Center

Southwest Florida nonprofit David Lawrence Centers is a national leader in providing world-class mental health and addiction recovery solutions for children, adolescents and adults. The Center’s innovative, integrated treatment includes inpatient, outpatient, residential, and community-based services – a comprehensive system of care funded by community and government support. Each year, David Lawrence Centers creates life-changing wellness for more than 9,800 people through over 276,000 treatment sessions. To learn more, please call (239) 491-7602 or visit www.DavidLawrenceCenter.org.