Academy Award-Winning Actress and Mental Health Advocate Goldie Hawn
to headline DLC Sound Minds™ 55th Anniversary Celebration
Sound Minds Keynote Speaker Goldie Hawn Sound Minds Honorary Chair and DLC Founder Polly Keller DLC CEO Scott Burgess speaking at Sound Minds
Academy Award-winning actress, producer, director, and best-selling author, Goldie Hawn, struggled with anxiety and panic attacks when she was thrust into fame in her early 20s. She eventually sought medical help to cope with her anxiety and her intention to be happy. Her mental health journey and concerns about the increases in school violence, youth depression, and suicide inspired her to eventually start an organization called MindUP™, which aims to help kids better understand their thoughts and feelings. She went on to author a best-selling book, 10 Mindful Minutes, to offer guidance on raising healthy, joyful, and resilient children.
Now as a mental health advocate, Hawn will share insights about her personal journey to wellness and happiness and her life’s purpose to create innovative solutions to help children thrive as the keynote speaker at the David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health (DLC) Sound Minds™ 55th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 5 p.m. at The Ritz Carlton Golf Resort. Immediately following the reception and presentation, VIP guests will enjoy a private dinner with an intimate opportunity to meet Hawn.
Guests will journey back in time to view DLC’s 55-year history and see the impact and change that can happen when the community comes together.
Sadly, mental illness, suicide, and addiction–especially for our youth and young adults–are prevalent now more than ever. Sound Minds is DLC’s signature fundraiser and a critical source of funding for its life-saving and life-changing services, which have drastically increased in demand year over year.
Hearing from someone with lived experience who has found hope, help, and purpose in helping others find their way is the proven format for the Sound Minds fundraiser, now in its tenth year. Past speakers have included a Columbine shooting survivor, national experts, actors, and legislators who have been impacted personally by behavioral health challenges.
There is no better local advocate to serve as the 55th Anniversary Sound Minds Honorary Chair than DLC Founder Polly Keller. Through Keller’s vision and hard work, DLC, then known as the Collier County Mental Health Clinic, was the first mental health and substance use clinic in Collier County. Keller secured financial support from Collier County, the state, and schools to open the clinic with three staff members, including Naples’ first psychiatrist.
Keller later founded the David Lawrence Foundation, which was the first foundation in the country whose purpose was to help a publicly funded community mental health center through private fundraising. Now, 55 years later, DLC has more than 300 employees and has expanded to an eight-acre main campus, two satellite locations, and operates 24 affordable housing units and an eight-bed recovery residence. With a new multimillion-dollar central receiving facility and innovative new initiatives for brain health planned, DLC is poised to continue to meet the behavioral health needs of the growing SWFL population for the next 55 years through the continued support of the community.
As Honorary Chair, Polly Keller hopes to increase awareness about these common issues and encourage Collier County to come together to make a difference by helping address access to behavioral health.
“Being an advocate and volunteer with DLC for 55 years, I see where we've been and where we need to go,” said Keller. “I see this year’s Sound Minds fundraiser as not only an educational event but a celebratory one to bring people in the community from all different positions and situations together to celebrate DLC and its accomplishments. By supporting Sound Minds, those attending will lend support to the yet unreached goals of DLC and help them continue to address the great and growing need for behavioral healthcare for all in need in our community for the next 55 years.”
Sound Minds is being presented by the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF). Sound Minds sponsors to date include The Wellington Group at Morgan Stanley. Community mental health partners include Park Royal Behavioral Health Services, PBS Contractors, Brown and Brown Insurance, and Moorings Park.
The cost to attend is $400 per person and $1,500 per VIP ticket and can be purchased at DLCSoundMinds.org.