SalusCare Comedy Night Raises $122,317

FGCU President Dr. Mike Martin Named Best Comic
FORT MYERS, FLA., August 21, 2018 –  Laughter rocked the Broadway Palm Saturday (August 18) as four local celebrities took to the stage in hopes of being named “Lee County’s Best Comic” while raising money for behavioral healthcare in Southwest Florida.
By the end of the night, Florida Gulf Coast University President Dr. Mike Martin claimed the title after earning the greatest number of votes from attendees.  He also earned the title of raising the most money among the four local celebrities.
A crowd of 350 people jammed the Broadway Palm for “Laughter Is the Best Medicine” and plunked down cash, checks and credit cards to support SalusCare, the region’s largest provider of behavioral healthcare.  A total of $122,317 was raised through sponsorships, ticket sales, donations and a silent auction organized by #KindLee, a project of the Lee County Bar Association.
“We’re thrilled with the community’s response to ‘Laughter Is the Best Medicine Comedy Night.’  The $122,317 raised is a new record and shows how much everyone recognizes the importance of behavioral healthcare services in Southwest Florida.  We’re already making plans for next year’s event,” said SalusCare Development Committee Co-Chair Marc Collins.
Funds raised will help provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services to children and youth in our community whose families can least afford care.  One in 10 children has serious mental health problems severe enough to impair how they function at home, in school, or in the community, according to the National Center for Children & Poverty at Columbia University.  Left untreated, mental illnesses can lead to more difficult to treat illnesses and to the development of co-occurring disorders.
Collins and SalusCare Board Chair Marshall Bower gave special thanks to nationally-recognized professional comedians Michael Palascak, Pat McGann and Dwayne Perkins.  Palascak served as emcee and performed his stand-up comedy at the beginning of the evening while McGann and Perkins performed as the votes were being counted.  They also commended the sponsors and celebrity comics.
Other local celebrity comics for the night were:

• Gina Birch, Radio-TV personality and wine aficionado
• Eric Raddatz, Fort Myers Film Festival founder and Florida Weekly Presentation Editor
• Amy Bennett Williams, News-Press staff writer

This year’s “Laughter Is the Best Medicine Comedy Night” received the greatest sponsorship support in its four-year history.
The Title/Presenting Sponsor was Mr. Greens Produce, a Miami-based produce distributor with a distribution center in Fort Myers that specializes in servicing restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and other food service establishments.
The Showcase Sponsor was The Richard and Vicki Pitbladdo Foundation Fund, a fund of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.
Other major sponsors were B&I Contractors, Bill Smith Appliances, Broadway Palm, Leading Edge Benefit Advisors, Park Royal Hospital and T3 Communications (Headliner sponsors); Siesta Pebble, Inc. (Grand Finale sponsor); Accent Business Products, Altered Tattoo Company, Genoa Healthcare, Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Lykes Insurance, and Millennium Physician Group (Monologue sponsors).
Florida Weekly and The News-Press Media Group were the media sponsors.
For more information about SalusCare services, please visit www.saluscareflorida.org or call 239-275-3222.
 
About SalusCare, Inc.
SalusCare, Inc., is the largest, most comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program in Southwest Florida, serving 16,000 people per year of all ages from seven locations in Lee County.   The non-profit organization offers crisis stabilization, outpatient and residential treatment as well as an Employee Assistance Program for about 50 area companies. Most programs are accredited by CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
SalusCare services are not free.  Fees are charged on a sliding scale, based on family income.  In many cases, private insurance is accepted.  SalusCare is a United Way partner agency.
For more information, call 239-275-3222 or visit www.saluscareflorida.org.