NAMI-NYC Celebrates 15 Historic Years of Community Fundraising During May's Mental Health Awareness Month

NEW YORK, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMI-NYC (local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Matt Kudish, executive director) will celebrate 15 historic years of its peer-to-peer community fundraising during May's Mental Health Awareness Month to support its free programs, helpline and services to aid New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19. Since March of 2020, with its added online video support groups and programs, NAMI-NYC served nearly 30,000 individuals challenged by depression, grief, anxiety, panic attacks and other related mental health conditions, up from 19,000 the prior year.

Mark Ruffalo, three-time Oscar nominee, and the 2020 Emmy winner and 2021 Golden Globe winner for HBO's acclaimed series "I Know This Much is True," is grand marshal for the "NAMIWalks NYC" virtual program on Saturday, May 22 (11 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET). The annual community event is a national day of hope to support #MentalHealthForAll, led by NAMI-NYC with NAMI affiliates throughout the country, reimagined as a virtual day of self-care, support, peer-to-peer fundraising and mental health awareness. "NAMIWalks NYC" will also feature special appearances by ASICS elite athlete and "Blue Jean Mile" world record holder, Johnny Gregorek, and SoulCycle Master Instructor Stacey Griffith.

Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba ("Orange is the New Black"), star of HBO's highly anticipated returning drama series "In Treatment," will lead a special premiere week virtual panel event, streaming on the HBO Max YouTube channel beginning Friday, May 21. HBO's "In Treatment" centers around therapist, Dr. Brooke Taylor (Aduba) in present-day Los Angeles who helps her clients navigate a variety of modern concerns including issues such as the global pandemic and recent major social and cultural shifts. Joining Aduba for the panel are co-showrunners, executive producers and writers Jennifer Schuur and Joshua Allen, and Quintessa Swindell, starring as "Laila." "In Treatment" premieres Sunday, May 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.

WarnerMedia has a longstanding relationship with National Alliance on Mental Illness NYC. In 2019, HBO and NAMI came together to launch "It's OK", an initiative to destigmatize the conversation around mental health. To learn more about "It's OK" click here: It's OK & You Are Not Alone.

Starting Monday, May 3, NAMI-NYC's month-long online events and activities to support Mental Health Awareness will include:

• Advocacy Action through Education: Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - May 7
• The Troubled History of Schizophrenia: How Race Shaped an Illness - May 10
• Breathwork and Meditation with Kathleen Booker, founder of "The Jedi of Calm" - week of May 17
• Perspectives on Family Relationships and COVID-19 - May 17
• Ending the Silence for Families - May 18
• HBO's "Covid Diaries NYC" documentary: screening & filmmakers' panel - May 18
• The Future of Workplace Mental Health - May 19
• HBO's "In Treatment" virtual panel event - May 21
• NAMIWalks Your Way NYC virtual program event - May 22
• Yoga Groove Dance Party with Miraval Resorts & Spa - May 22
• Decriminalizing Mental Illness in NYC: A Mayoral Candidates Forum - May 26

All online events are free and accessible to the public; bookmark this page to register to donate, view the latest event line-up, dates, times and streaming platforms, and join the #MentalHealthForAll conversation.

NAMI-NYC on SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @NAMINYCMetro | Instagram: @NAMINYC_Metro | Facebook: NAMINYCMetro

Hashtags: #NAMINYC  #NAMIWalksNYC #MentalHealthForAll
#MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
Donate - Text to Give: NAMINYC to 56512

ABOUT NAMIWALKS NYC
Since the first outdoor walk was held in 2007 with just 1,000 participants, NAMIWalks NYC has covered more than 102k miles with 32k participants and raised more than $6.4M by its supporters, sponsors and local families and friends affected by or living with mental illness. 

Past notables who have supported NAMI-NYC's Walk and year-round fundraising events include Kelly Ripa, CNN's Chris Cuomo, Darryl "Run DMC" McDaniels, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray, SoulCycle's Stacey Griffith, actor Chris Noth, filmmaker Paul Dalio, Broadway stars Alex Boniello and Patti Murin, and LGBTQIA+ activist Peppermint.

2021 Event Sponsors
Sunovion, WarnerMedia and HBO, Zadig & Voltaire, Publicis Health, ASICS, PMI, Inc., Miraval Resorts & Spa, Neurocrine Biosciences, Kramer Levin, Alkermes, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Takeda, Lundbeck, AbleTo.

ABOUT NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS OF NEW YORK CITY (NAMI-NYC)
For nearly 40 years, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC has offered life-changing support, education, and advocacy programs to families and individuals affected by mental illness. NAMI-NYC's services are free of charge and accessible for anyone who needs them. For more information about NAMI-NYC and its programs and services, please visit naminyc.org.

PR Contact: Adriana Douzos, [email protected], 917-749-3977

SOURCE NAMI-NYC