NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley News

DIY Paint Parties

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

A logo saying Colorful Minds

Paint with NAMI, build awareness and end stigma.

Make the choice to paint with us and have some fun. You can paint with a group or on your own. Host a paint party and invite family and friends to join you – share the results live on social media.

The challenge is to raise $100 for every painter. NAMI supporters are raising funds through June 31.

Register Your Paint Party for FREE today and we’ll set up a private party page online for you! REGISTER HERE

Questions? Contact Caroline Vernon, coordinator@namigmv.org or 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10-2).

The NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley Colorful Minds is a great way to:

  • Have fun while supporting a great cause
  • Share your passion for mental health awareness with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues
  • Raise funds and recruit members and donors that will enable NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley to continue its effective peer-led programs

Step One: Select a date, time and location. We suggest that you select a date at least three weeks out from the time you decide to give the party. Also, try to consider the day of the week and the time that will give you the best turnout, depending on your audience. Reach out to us if you need help finding a location for your paint party.

Step Two: Create your guest list. Make a list of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, and members of your faith-based, civic, or professional groups.  We suggest about thirty people, but this is your party, so you decide how many to invite!  We will help you create a website page – then ask each person to register, join your fundraising team page and commit to raising $100.

Step Three: Send out your invitations. Sites like evite.com or paperlesspost.com offer free invites for you to use. Depending on your audience you may decide to send these via mail.

Step Four: Party Time! Make the party fun – you can provide food and refreshments or potluck. Someone should share their story/connection before the painting fun begins. Remember to give updates on your fundraising efforts throughout the night. Prizes can be given for the best painting, the worst party… keep it fun!

 Step Five: Send a thank you to all guests who attended to your party, as well as following up with those who indicated interest in supporting or learning more about NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley.

NAMI DIY Fundraising logo

Posted in Advocacy, fundraisingTagged ,

Annual Meeting

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

Register Here.

Join us at 5:30 for networking and hors d’oeuvres.  Presentation begins at 6 p.m.

This event is free to current NAMI members.

Join for as little as $5 Open Door membership and attend at no charge. Join or Renew Here.

NAMI Connections Support Group Sponsors Peer Panel Presentation

Learn about new services available to individuals living with a mental health condition. There have been many improvements in the amount and type of services available in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Peer representatives from Robert Young Center, Transitions Mental Health Services, Vera French and Life Connections will discuss the history, current trends, and needed future improvements for peer services. Each organization will also have an exhibit table so that you can speak with representatives one-on-one.

Annual Board Business

We will honor outgoing board members Laurie Edge, AAA Contracting; Larry Pollard, Rock Island County Mental Health 708 Board; Denise Beenk, Vera French CMHC; and Elesha Gayman, Habitat for Humanity.

Affirming new board members:

  • Incoming board president Terry Haru, PhD, retired compliance executive, Heritage Behavioral Health, Decatur
  • Cynthia Green, LCPC, Therapist, Southpark Psychology
  • Laura Hill, LISW, Adult Therapist, Vera French CMHC
  • Tim Lohse, Vice President, Postal Source
  • Paul Phares, MS, Director of Community Support & Care Coordination, UnityPoint Health Robert Young Center
  • Kristina Voyna, MBA, Global Region 4 Learning Manager, John Deere
Posted in MembersTagged ,

Birdies

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

A bird swinging a golf club

Thank you for your Birdies Pledge!  Pledge Here

You know the statistics. Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24. Early intervention programs can help.

And that’s where NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley comes in.

NAMI volunteers pay it forward when others are looking for help and hope. Our trained volunteers have lived experience with mental health conditions. They deliver education and support programs that are nationally developed and federal-agency approved.

NAMI programs are clinically designed to move the entire family toward recovery. We know that a loved one’s recovery starts at home with a strong support structure. Participants learn how to cope, communicate, and effectively advocate for themselves or a loved one.

Your investment in NAMI programs is magnified as we partner with healthcare, social work and education providers. NAMI programs are unduplicated and fit well within the care delivery system available in our community. All programs are offered at no cost thanks to supporters like you.

Your investment today will guarantee a 5% match through Birdies for Charity™ with Pledge #1270.

 

Posted in Advocacy, fundraisingTagged

NAMI Spring Family Education Class Schedule

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley offers free nationally-developed education programs that teach families to cope, communicate and effectively advocate for a loved one living with a mental health condition. To register for NAMI courses, visit www.namigmv.org or call 563-386-7477 Ext. 266.

NAMI Homefront will be held six Wednesday evenings from April 8 to May 13 at Army Sustainment Command Headquarters Building at the Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill. Registration is required by April 5. Through a national Memorandum of Understanding with the Veterans Administration, NAMI is working with the VA in Iowa City and Quad Cities to promote this specialized class for veteran and active-duty service member families. The course is designed for family members supporting a loved one living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury and other mental health conditions.

NAMI Family-to-Family will be held 12 Tuesday evenings from April 23 to July 9 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa. Register by April 19. The course is designed for family members and caregivers of individuals 18 years or older living with a mental health condition. Course topics include family response to trauma, diagnosis and dealing with critical periods, problem solving, communications skills, and self-care for caregivers. The program is taught by trained family members who have lived experience.

Posted in EducationTagged , ,

NAMI Offers Family Education for Clinton and Jackson Counties

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

NAMI is offering an education program designed for family members who support an adult living with a mental health condition. The course is made available by a grant from the Eastern Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Service Region that includes Jackson and Clinton counties.

NAMI Family-to-Family program is 12 Monday evenings beginning March 4 at Clinton Community College, 1000 Lincoln Boulevard, Clinton. The course is designed for family members and caregivers of individuals 18 years or older living with a mental health condition. Course topics include family response to trauma, diagnosis and dealing with critical periods, problem solving, communications skills, and self-care for caregivers.

Registration is required by calling Clinton Community College 1-800-850-5440, Course #3813, or visiting online. Additional information about NAMI is available by calling 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10-2).

Posted in EducationTagged , ,

NAMI Offers Education for Henry County, Illinois

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

NAMI is partnering with Foster Hope – QC Area of Atkinson, Ill. to deliver two family education programs. Both organizations can offer these programs as part of a grant from the Doris & Victor Day Foundation and the Moline Foundation.

NAMI Family & Friends Seminar will be held Saturday, February 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Foster Hope offices, 107 South State Street, Atkinson. The seminar is free and open to the public. Registration is required. NAMI family instructors will share their own family stories, and talk about mental health diagnoses, crisis strategies and available community resources. Illinois CEU credit for foster parents is available. Learn more  or call 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10-2).

NAMI Basics education program will be offered in six sessions beginning Saturday, April 6 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Foster Hope offices, 107 South State Street, Atkinson. The course is free and available to parents, foster parents, and other caregivers of children and adolescents who have shown symptoms of a mental health condition. Registration is required open through April 6. Illinois and Iowa CEU credits are available to foster parents. Learn more or call 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10-2).

Posted in EducationTagged , , ,

Foster Family Mental Health Education offers CEU Credits

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

NAMI is partnering with Four Oaks Foster and Adoptive Family Connection to offer up to 15-hours continuing education credit to Illinois and Iowa foster parents that care for youth exhibiting mental health symptoms.  Grants from Theisen’s and the Quad Cities Community Foundation make this foster course possible.

“NAMI is a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with a mental health condition and their families,” says Vicki Walters, local NAMI education coordinator. “Our programs are taught by family members with lived experiences. These programs offer new insights into mental health conditions, as well as support for all-types of family members who serve as caregivers.”

NAMI Basics education program will be offered in six sessions beginning Sunday, March 24 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at CASI – Center for Active Seniors, 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport. The course is free and available to parents, foster parents, and other caregivers of children and adolescents who have shown symptoms of a mental health condition. Registration is required. Learn more at www.namigmv.org, https://bit.ly/2Ld15Sl or call 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10-2).

Posted in EducationTagged , ,

NAMI Seeks Development Manager

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

One in five persons will experience a mental health condition at any given time. Join the NAMI cause to break social stigma, build community acceptance, and provide greater access to health care and supports.

NAMI is a grassroots organization that focuses on filling an information gap for families, helping them to learn how to better support and advocate for a loved one living with a mental health condition. Our programs are nationally-developed and complement the work of health care and social work providers. Education and support programs are offered to individuals living with a condition, and their families.

NAMI GMV seeks a part-time Development Manager with a minimum two years fundraising experience. NAMI Development Manager Open Position

Posted in fundraisingTagged , ,

New NAMI Family & Friends Seminar

Posted on by Angela Gallagher

Photo collage of Smiling families.

 

 

 

NAMI Family & Friends is a free four-hour seminar that informs people who have loved ones with a mental health condition how to best support them. It’s also an opportunity to meet other people in similar situations and gain community support. We’re scheduling these seminars monthly – so check our events calendar please.

What You’ll Learn
The seminar is led by trained people with lived experience of supporting a family member with a mental health condition. They will walk you through the following topics.

Understanding diagnoses, treatment and recovery
Effective communication strategies
The importance of self-care
Crisis preparation strategies
NAMI and community resources

Additional Resources
The NAMI Family & Friends companion eBook provides important information about mental health conditions including: conditions and diagnoses, treatment and recovery, crisis planning, resources and more. You can download it for free at Amazon and Barnes & Noble where select languages are available for the Kindle, Nook and compatible ebook apps.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Compressed Epub or Mobi files (English)
Compressed Epub or Mobi files (Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, and Vietnamese)

Thank You to these Community Partners
These seminars are possible by the generosity of our grant partners – Thank You! In Scott County: The Regional Development Authority. In Rock Island and Henry Counties: The Doris & Victor Day Foundation, The Moline Foundation, Rauch Family Foundation, and Rock Island Community Foundation.

Posted in EducationTagged ,