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Big News from Centerstone

September 2025

 Centerstone and Brightli Merge to Advance Care

As a supporter of Centerstone, we have some exciting news to share about our future with you! On September 9, 2025, Centerstone and Brightli met to finalize the merging of our organizations that will close in early November. The merged organization will serve nearly 250,000 clients annually, with concentration in the Mid-South, Midwest and Southeastern United States. This merger will form the largest nonprofit behavioral health care provider in the United States, employing more than 10,000 staff and generating about $1.1 billion in annual revenue.

David C. Guth, Jr. will be the Chief Executive Officer of the merged Centerstone organization, alongside Brightli CEO C.J. Davis as CEO-elect. Davis will become Centerstone’s CEO in January 2027. At that time Guth will become CEO Emeritus and retire in late 2027 after having served the organization for 39 years. “I am confident in the leadership and vision that C.J. brings to help continue the growth of Centerstone as a leader in the industry. He is guided by a deep mission of expanding care to the people in our communities,” Guth said.



Davis says that “Brightli and Centerstone have rich histories of working with local communities to improve care, and this merger, under the legacy of the Centerstone name, will advance our ability to continue that shared mission.”  Learn more by watching the video or visiting here.

Helping Students Be the Best They Can Be

“An 8 year old female student had difficulty engaging with her peers in a positive manner. She often displayed physical aggression and disruptive behavior in the classroom. She received office referrals and suspensions daily due to her inability to cope. After working with our clinician, she was able to improve her ability to regulate her emotions independently and establish meaningful friendships with her peers. She has displayed significant improvement with her social well-being and listening skills.”

Centerstone offers on site school based mental health services to students (and their families) in 972 schools annually. School-based therapy helps students succeed by addressing issues like anxiety, depression, and social-emotional wellbeing. This wide-ranging therapy-based programming also provides sensory items for children and parent education tools, and helps students develop coping skills and plans to prevent further crisis when they happen, and linking any family members to the services they need, including therapy and psychiatric services. 

This program and our staff are integrated directly into the schools and the students’ everyday lives. Megan Godbee, LMFT, Clinical Supervisor and School Based Therapist explains, “we meet them where they are, helping to navigate a range of social, family and school issues so that they are better able to manage real-time stresses in the classroom as they happen.”

 

This direct connection with students has allowed for outcomes like “a reduction in absenteeism, suspensions and visits to the principal’s office once we have started services at the school” states Kati Guernsey, Director, Child & Family Services.

“This program doesn’t just serve the child but looks at assisting the whole family” says Stephanie Duckworth, Vice President of Clinical Services. Our school-based programing works with families to provide support plans that can help each family reach their goals.

Your donations help provide extra resources to support students:

  • School supplies
  • Transportation
  • Booster seats
  • Therapy kits
  • Craft supplies
  • Covers care to those students who are either uninsured or underinsured

Celebrating Two Legacies – John Cherry and JoAnne Duke

For many years, Centerstone has been blessed with donors who have huge hearts and compassion for the people in our communities living with mental illness and substance use disorders. We celebrate the individuals who have chosen to create a lasting legacy through estate planning, ensuring continued support for people served at Centerstone – our Sapphire Society donors. In the last year, the legacy of two of these individuals lives on.

John T. Cherry has been a friend and supporter of Centerstone services in Illinois for more than two decades. Upon his passing, a generous gift was received from his life insurance company, as he had requested. John’s family told us that they are grateful for the community impact he was able to make in his lifetime giving. Their hearts are warmed that his legacy will continue through this gift.

JoAnne H. Duke served on Centerstone’s Board of Directors for 40 years and was instrumental in advancing programs and services in Florida, including the building of Centerstone’s hospital in Bradenton. Her family said that Centerstone was JoAnne’s life for many years – the need for mental health care was so very important to her. They are happy to continue her legacy with an estate gift to The Duke Legacy Endowment Fund that was established in JoAnne’s honor and will continue to provide a lasting source of funding for generations to come.

Our sympathy is extended to the Cherry and Duke families as we celebrate the legacy of their loved ones. It is because of John T. Cherry and JoAnne H. Duke, and others like them, that the community can rest assured that Centerstone will continue to deliver care that changes people’s lives.

Three Memorable Life;Story Events held in September

September 6 in Illinois

September 13 in Tennessee

September 20 in Florida

2025 Life;Story events brought together 1,879 participants and raised over $322,000 to power care delivery at Centerstone. We are so grateful to everyone who sponsored, registered and contributed and are looking forward to seeing you at these events in 2026!

For more photos and to view sponsors,

check out the Life;Story post–event pages.

Thank You to Our Community

We are deeply grateful to the following funders, who collectively have provided over $325,000 recently to support patient care.

  • Alton Foundation to support Alton Group Homes in Madison County, Illinois
  • Bob Woodruff Foundation to support a Mental Health First Aid training through the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone in Clarksville, Tennessee
  • Combined Arms to support care for veterans through Centerstone’s Military Services
  • Cowles Charitable Trust to support Mental Health Court in Sarasota County, Florida
  • East Tennessee Foundation to support school-based services in McMinn and Monroe Counties in Tennessee
  • Indiana Youth Institute to support counseling services at the Happy Hollow Summer Camp in Brown County, Indiana
  • Kendrick Foundation to support school-based services in Morgan County, Indiana
  • Kouns Family Foundation to support the At Ease Civilian Transition group at the the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone in Jacksonville, Florida
  • United Way of Bartholomew County to support renovations of the Community Engagement Center in Columbus, Indiana
  • United Way of the Ocoee Region to support school-based services in Bradley and Polk Counties in Tennessee
  • United Way South Central Tennessee to support the Mental Wellness for All Initiative in Rutherford County schools in Tennessee
  • United Way Suncoast to support school-based services in Manatee County, Florida
  • THE PLAYERS to support mental health services at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone in Jacksonville, Florida

Stay Connected with Centerstone’s Foundation

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1-877-HOPE123 (1-877-467-3123) | centerstone.org/give

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Centerstone
Customer.care@centerstone.org
1921 Ransom Place, Nashville, TN, 37217, US
877-467-3123
Centerstone Alton Office