Lee Mental Health honors community locals for contribution to mental health
At its ninth Annual Community Luncheon held on Nov. 4, at Colonial Country Club, Lee Mental Health and its Board of Directors presented six awards to those who have dedicated their time and talent to the agency and individuals dealing with mental illnesses and substance abuse.
– Rotary Club of Cape Coral and Interact Club of Cape Coral High School were named Lee Mental Health’s 2009 Volunteers of the Year. These two service organizations teamed up to paint the interior of a duplex in southeast Cape Coral owned by Lee Mental Health and occupied by formerly homeless individuals with disabilities. The Rotarians also secured a donation of paint and supplies from Povia Paints. Up to six tenants may reside in the duplex where they develop the skills necessary to achieve independence. More than 20 Cape Coral High School Interact Club students, along with club coordinator Steve Maxwell, washed down the walls, laid drop clothes and painted the interior of the duplex. The Cape Rotarians joined in as well, and provided breakfast and lunch for everyone involved in the project.
– Christopher Whitman was named Lee Mental Health’s 2009 Advocate of the Year.
– Officer Kristi Golba of the Fort Myers Police Department was named the 2009 CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) Officer of the Year.
– Arthur Fleck II and Katherine Fleck were presented with the 2009 Spirit of Philanthropy Award for their consistent generosity, vision and passion to provide mental health advocacy and quality services to the community.
– Joe Mazurkiewicz, Jr. Ph.D. was presented with the 2009 Founders’ Award, an award presented annually to an individual who has consistently enriched Lee Mental Health through selfless commitment to the mission of the agency and to the individuals served.
During Mazurkiewicz’s tenure as Board chair, the Board increased its membership by four, named a new Marketing & Fund raising Director and Chief Medical Officer, and also hired a new Chief Operations Officer and new Chief Executive Officer. Confident that Lee Mental Health was back on the right track, Joe Mazurkiewicz stepped down as Board Chair in 2001 knowing he had left the center in the capable and qualified hands of a professional administrative team and a newly-revitalized Board of Directors. Mazurkiewicz currently serves as a Trustee member of the Lee Mental Health Board of Directors and is President of BJM Consulting, Inc.
Lee Mental Health operates two campuses; the Ruth Cooper campus and VISTA campus. The agency has provided mental health and substance abuse recovery services for Lee County residents since 1969. Lee Mental Health Center, Inc. is also a United Way Partner Agency funded, in part, through contracts with the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Families, the Lee County Board of Commissioners, private donations and grants from the Cape Coral Community Foundation, Southwest Florida Community Foundation, The Able Trust, Gannett Foundation, City of Ft. Myers and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida.