Who We Are
Mental illness is medicine’s darkest and, sadly, longest night. It is a fiend that separates parent from child, husband from wife, brother from sister. Its weapons are isolation and a kind of pain that a healthy person simply cannot understand. And it is far more widespread than you might imagine, affecting more than one out of every five U.S. adults. You have a friend or relative with mental illness in their family. You can count on it.
The curse of mental illness remains hopelessness. While significant advances in treatment during the past half century represent progress in holding the villain at bay, they are partial victories at best. The ultimately victorious anodyne will be research - the scientific investigation and creativity that will find treatments, cures and finally ways to prevent mental illness.
The mission of Sunshine From Darkness is to support and fund that research. The Florida organization was formed in Sarasota under the leadership of Lee and Bob Peterson as NARSAD-Florida to contribute to that goal. Since 1998, we have raised nearly $4 million. We have parented a new group on the east coast of Florida and we are now expanding into Bradenton, Venice and Tampa.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that we need to close the gap in research funding between mental illness and diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
We believe we need to reduce the stigma attached to mental illnesses and brain disorders.
We believe that art in its many forms has the capacity to touch people in a profound, fundamental way. Entertaining performances are our key (and now proven!) strategy for presenting information about mental illness, overcoming barriers, achieving new understanding and attracting new supporters.
We wrap our beliefs in the phrase “Sunshine from Darkness.” And we invite you to join us.
HOW SUNSHINE FROM DARKNESS CAME TO BE
Lee and Bob Peterson have been involved with NARSAD since its founding in 1986. When their son was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young man and the recommendation of the medical profession was to hospitalize him, the Petersons said “No, we do not and will not settle for that. There must be something better; there will be something better.” And they set about finding it. The Peterson’s move to Florida was the genesis of NARSAD here; to meet Lee and Bob is to be swept into their passion for their cause. Because of he outstandng work NARSAD-Florida has achieved under the national umbrella, the Petersons, in the summer of 2008, decided to create their own not-for-profit organization titled "Sunshine From Darkness."
