Clad in both St. Patrick’s Day green and an array of fan-favorite football jerseys, hundreds of supporters of NAMI Collier County scored a “touchdown for mental wellness” at the organization’s annual “Hope Shines” event, headlined by Super Bowl champion quarterback and sports commentator Joe Theismann.

The March 14 event, hosted at the Arthrex One ballroom, drew approximately 250 attendees while raising $540,000 on behalf of the Naples-based nonprofit. It will be followed by the annual Hope Shines Walk on Friday, April 25, also at the Arthrex campus.

From the personal stories shared on behalf of NAMI Collier participants to the Super Bowl XVII Most Valuable Player’s keynote address, gala speakers emphasized the continued need to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness to, in the words of NAMI Collier board chair Tom Farrington, “change the narrative.”

“I am certain that everyone in this room knows someone who is suffering with mental illness and needs someone to care,” said Beth Hatch, CEO of NAMI Collier County, sharing her definition of kindness with the audience: “loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weakness.”

For Theismann, that realization came without warning on Nov. 18, 1985, when he suffered a career-ending compound fracture of his leg during a nationally televised “Monday Night Football” game watched by millions. 

Nearly 40 years later, Theismann – a 15-year NFL veteran, Notre Dame graduate and College Football Hall of Famer – can still vividly recall the finest of details from that night, including an ovation from the crowd for the fallen player that Theismann said propelled him toward a new world-view guided by compassion, empathy, humility resilience, gratitude and adaptability.

“Fifty-five thousand people said thank you to someone who thought he needed no one,” Theismann told the rapt crowd.

“We’re not heroes,” he said of his fellow sports superstars, instead singling out police officers, firefighters, other first responders and the country’s active-duty military and veterans. “We’ve been given an opportunity. They’re the true heroes. When they go to work each day, there’s no guarantee they’re going to come home.”

Theismann contributed several autographed footballs toward the benefit, each of which was promptly snapped up by donors for $10,000 each. 

Longtime supporter Elizabeth Star of Naples, who in 2024 received the organization’s Hope Award for individuals, announced a $50,000 matching contribution, promptly doubling the donation once an attendee at the indoor tailgate-style event pledged the matching amount. 

NAMI Collier subsequently announced another $50,000 matching contribution after the event. 

Event proceeds support NAMI’s Children’s Mental Health Program, also known as Health Under Guided Systems (HUGS), which screens, assesses and educates individuals ages 2 months to 22 years old experiencing developmental, social, emotional or behavioral difficulties. 

The program provided care coordination to nearly 1,000 children in 2023-24, with more than 600 home visits with intensive support for the child and family and 2,000 yearly mental health screenings and early intervention services with no-cost/no-wait list evaluations and diagnosis by NAMI’s child psychologist

The event also helps support the Sarah Ann Life Skills & Support Program, serving young adults, adults, veterans and seniors which includes structured activities, life skills, self-help, occupational training, food and nutrition, creative arts and mental wellness programs offered at no cost to the community, programs that help avoid isolation and promote independence and resilience. 

That program attracts 25-40 participants daily while also generating nearly 100 supportive employment jobs in the most recent year.

WINK News anchor Cory Lazar served as the event’s emcee, supported by media sponsor Gulfshore Life/The Naples Press. The event’s presenting sponsor was Tamiami Ford/Tamiami Hyundai/Genesis of Naples, with Stanley and Elizabeth Star as speaker underwriters. 

Donors can contribute online at namicollier.org, by mail or by scheduling a tour of the NAMI Collier location. 

For more information on the upcoming Hope Shines Walk on April 25, visit https://namicollier.salsalabs.org/2025Walk. Registration starts at 6 p.m., with the walk and other activities, including food trucks and music from the Back Country Boys, scheduled from 6:30-8:45 p.m.