Author and mental health advocate Dottie Pacharis was the keynote speaker for “Food for Thought: Feeding the Mind, Body and Soul.” The mental health symposium hosted by HOPE Clubhouse of Southwest Florida took place Monday, Oct. 24, at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers.
Pacharis is the author of Mind on the Run – A Bipolar Chronicle, based on her son’s struggle with bipolar disorder, which sadly resulted in his death. She has channeled her grief into advocacy for greater funding for research and support for those living with mental illness and their caregivers.
Additional speakers at the symposium included the Honorable H. Andrew Swett, 20th Judicial Circuit Judge and founder of the Lee County Mental Health Court, respected Fort Myers psychiatrist Dr. Omar Rieche, and HOPE Clubhouse member Cindy Bishop. 
