Friday, September 23, 2016

CCSO Sergeant Honored By DLC

The David Lawrence Center honored Collier County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Leslie Weidenhammer during the annual Recovery Month awards ceremony Thursday.

The DLC recognized Sgt. Weidenhammer for her involvement as a Crisis Intervention Team Trainer and Coordinator of the Mental Health Unit with the CCSO.

She is also a member of the Collier County Drug Court, Mental Health Court and Veterans Court Teams. In these capacities she tirelessly and passionately invests her time to support individuals in crisis with a mental illness and/or substance abuse problem who intercept with law enforcement. In addition, she serves as a volunteer board member for National Alliance on Mental Illness were she also works in their youth programs. She is as a steadfast mental health advocate and conveys the message of help, hope and recovery in that she does.

The DLC is a nonprofit mental health and substance abuse treatment facility serving children, adults and families in Collier County. DLC joins other voices of recovery from across the nation in observing the 27th annual national Recovery Month. The event is held in September to help increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance abuse disorder. It also helps to promote the message that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover.

Thursday’s ceremony at the New Hope Community Center, 7676 Davis Blvd., East Naples, recognized individuals and organizations in Collier County for their outstanding contributions to support those in recovery.

Polly Whiting, retired EMS Chief Walter Kopka, The David Lawrence Center Young Executives group and Terry Cox were also honored at the ceremony.