Lee and Bob Peterson have been involved with NARSAD since its founding in 1986. When their son was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young man and the recommendation of the medical profession was to hospitalize him, the Petersons said “No, we do not and will not settle for that. There must be something better; there will be something better.” And they set about finding it. The Peterson’s move to Florida was the genesis of NARSAD here; to meet Lee and Bob is to be swept into their passion for their cause. Because of the outstanding  work  NARSAD-Florida  has achieved  under  the national umbrella, the Petersons, in the summer    of   2008,   decided   to   create   their   own

not-for-profit organization titled "Sunshine From Darkness." In spring of 2009, Sunshine from Darkness formally affiliated with the International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO) to provide the scientifically based guidance on directing funds raised to the most appropriate research projects.

About the Name "Sunshine From Darkness" - Over the years several organizations have used the theme of Sunshine from Darkness. It was coined by Narsad Artworks, an excellent organization that we were formerly affiliated with. Narsad Artworks assists artists who have mental health problems by selling their artwork and using it on cards, calendars ands other printed material. Their website is www.narsadartworks.org.

Florida Research Partnerships
Before becoming Sunshine from Darkness, NARSAD Florida was able to participate in the NARSAD National Research Partners Programs which allow donors to direct a major gift to a NARSAD scientist conducting research in a particular area of interest, geographical location or specific institution. The grants may be named in honor of the donor or as a memorial tribute. In recent years, three of our Sunshine From Darkness families have lost family members to mental illness. Sunshine From Darkness was able to endow these Young Investigator Awards to honor their memory, and to fight on against this most cruel and untimely kind of loss. "We shall not cease..."

The Alexander Van Rensselaer Award • Painting by Alexander Van Rensselaer Alex Van Rensselaer was an artist, visionary and collector; he was the son of Alex and Sallie Van Rensselaer, who have spearheaded NARSAD Florida activities on the east coast of Florida. Alex was a fine painter, a skillful competitor in both chess and billiards and a rated tennis player. He died in 2003 at the age of 35. The grant funded by NARSAD Florida to honor his memory went to Gilles D. Tamagnan, PhD for "Synthesis and In Vivo Evaluation of New Selective Antagonist for the Metabotropic Receptor Group."

The Alex Mendell Award
Alex Mendell was the grandson of the late Ira (Tubby) and Joan Mendell of Sarasota, long-time supporters of NARSAD Florida in Sarasota. At the time of his death in 2003, he was a sophomore at Tufts University, where he was a Tufts Community Union Senator, a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the Tufts Transgender Lesbian Gay Bisexual Collective and the alpine ski team. He was also co-chair of the Women's Union at Tufts. The grant honoring Alex Mendell's memory went to David C. Henderson, M.D. at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University for a placebo-controlled trial of Rosiglitazone for Clozapine-induced glucose metabolism impairment: Berman's Minimal Model Analysis.

The Patrick Alexander Coelingh Award
• Patrick Alexander Coelingh, the dearly missed son of  Bunny and Bart