Music by Keaton Williams and Chris Cournoyer of the Jazzberries wafted through the room as guests dined. The meal – perfectly cooked salmon, Moroccan-spiced chicken, falafel, roasted tri-colored carrots, couscous and more (honey-kissed baklava complimented our bee theme) – was beautifully presented and efficiently served by our culinary team. 

The program included our first-ever “Academy” Award; a special tribute to Pines of Sarasota for being our first-ever Transitional Employment partner, while those members who have worked at the Pines joined the stage to honor them. Member Ian Churchill was among them, and he later returned to the stage to speak about the role the Academy has played in his personal development, and how employment has transformed him. When our director William McKeever spoke, he posed the thought-provoking question: “what if?,” painting a vivid picture of a world where we lead with empathy and “slow down the train enough so that everybody can get on.”

The world premiere of our Academy-produced animated short “Colony at Glengary: Return to the Garden” was shown, and two members, Erika Schlunk and Benjamin Foreman were acknowledged for their tireless efforts in creating the animation.  Member Stephen Anderson added humor and warmth when delivering the ASK along with culinary instructor Ben Burnside. The whole event was seamlessly held together by our emcees, Academy member Holden Seguso and enrollment coordinator Patty Haltinner. They were charming and engaging and had great chemistry on stage. 

Our Luncheons are as much friend-raiser as fundraiser, so we were delighted to have so many new faces in the audience. We watched as heads nodded in solidarity and eyes turned wistful with compassion, and we could see clearly that our members’ graciousness and talents have an impact.  

Speaking of impact, Paul, Sharon and Jeff Steinwachs of the Steinwachs Family Foundation were in attendance. They have been integral in our success since our inception. Their 1:1 financial match all but ensured we would exceed fundraising expectations. We are grateful for their support which goes far beyond financial. They are extraordinary people and we are honored to call them friends. 

To all who attended, supported, or helped create our luncheon, we thank you for opening your hearts and minds to the power of mental health recovery. You are the change we all hope to see in the world.

Jerry and Ben went into this training focused on specific areas in which we would like to improve. For example, a resounding matter for us is our early morning and late afternoon attendance. As one part of their Action Plan, they suggested adopting Fountain House’s practice of serving a daily hot breakfast (we already serve a hot buffet in place on Fridays and it’s no coincidence that it’s often our highest attendance of the week). This is just one example of how this type of training helps us to grow.Flashing forward to this week, Fountain House colleagues Micaiah King and Delaina Peek visited us as a follow-up to that training last fall. They checked in on our Action Plan to see where we have successfully implemented new strategies and where we might seek more coaching. They celebrated our accomplishments, rolled up their sleeves in our teams (and took away some new ideas to bring home to Fountain House), and presented a dynamic presentation on the role of a social practitioner (a title and concept that they coined and developed). It was educational, inspirational, and a whole lotta fun hosting them in our community! It’s a gift to collaborate with those who share our passion for recovery and the belief in the power of community and productivity.