The Fundraising Event of 2025

Join us as we celebrate the victory of 700 infants born drug-free.

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Time: Doors open at 11am, Program begins at 12pm
Location: Michael’s on East – Sarasota – MAP

About the Event

Lightshare’s Mothers and Infants Program empowers and treats pregnant and post-partum mothers who are facing substance abuse addiction. The Caring Hearts Event encourages the community to come together and support those most in need and celebrates the victory of 700 infants born drug-free. Join us as we celebrate at the 2025 Caring Hearts Event.

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Quick Facts

Evidence-Based Clinical Practice

Utilizing evidence-based clinical practice to address substance abuse and mental health issues is at the core of our program.

Treatment During & After Pregnancy

After delivery, the infant remains with the mother while she is in treatment, with an average stay of 6 to 8 months. An emphasis is placed on prenatal care, parenting skills, relapse prevention, smoking cessation, life management skills and family reunification.

The Mothers & Infants We Serve

Mothers admitted to the program are addicted to opiates, benzodiazephines, alcohol, cocaine, and many times, a combination of these drugs. They have experienced physical, sexual, and emotional trauma and have turned to drugs to cope.

Keynote Speaker

Sean Daniels

Keynote Speaker

Sean Daniels is an internationally recognized theater director, writer, and Artistic Director known for championing new work and using the arts to combat addiction stigma. As Director of the Recovery Project and Anti-Stigma Director for Live Tampa Bay, his campaigns have reached millions, earning praise for their impactful results. His op-ed on Matthew Perry’s passing garnered over 250k reads in the LA Times. Named one of “15 artists transforming America’s stages,” Sean’s play The White Chip, a NYTimes Critics’ Pick, has sparked global conversations on addiction. He lives in Bradenton, FL, with Veronika and Vivien.

Special Guests

Pete Tomasko

Guest Speaker

Pete Tomasko is passionate about addiction and mental health. He does this by speaking openly about his early childhood trauma that led to a decade of living on the streets of Sarasota, Daytona, and West Palm Beach and then the journey out of the darkness. At a later-than-normal stage of life, he found recovery rooted in community, a sense of purpose, and love. He launched a successful recruiting company known as Titan Placement Group. His company focuses on finding mental and addiction therapists for non-profit companies across the US.

Jessica Johnson Glover

Special Guest

After almost twenty years of living successfully with a mental illness, Jessica realized she possessed the skills and knowledge to help people who silently suffer from mental illnesses. In 2022, she published her inspirational memoir, “Far From Crazy…Success In Sanity: My Unashamed Truth.” Her literary work audaciously details her mental illness journey. Jessica is married to her soulmate, Gerald L. Glover, a mortgage professional. They reside in sunny Jacksonville, Florida. Visit her website for more information at farfromcrazy.org

Candi the Violinist

Entertainment

Candi the Violinist offers a variety of music selections as a classically trained solo artist. She also specializes in playing by ear across multiple genres of music such as hip-hop, pop, R & B, afrobeats, reggae, contemporary, house, neo-soul, 70’s-90’s hits, and more! Candi has performed for high-profile weddings with MTV’s Siesta Key and BravoTV’s Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Committee

Shawny Robey

President/CEO

Sadi Cizenski

Executive Assistant

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