NAMIWalks Fight Stigma: Fall Dates include Mental Illness Awareness Week and Election 2010 Concerns

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Sep 03, 2010, 08:30 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NAMIWalks will step forward over the next three months to raise public awareness in state and local communities about mental illness and the need for treatment and recovery.

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Sponsored by state and local affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the walks help raise funds for local programs, including free family education classes and support groups for individuals and families affected by serious mental illnesses.

"NAMIWalks are fun events that support serious work," said NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick. "NAMI's work is about hope and recovery. The challenge exists throughout the year."

The next NAMIWalk will be Sept. 11 in Vermont. Others coincide with Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 3-9), complementing many already held in the spring.

The full schedule of fall walks appears below. Links lead to local details.

This year, the walks also coincide with the Election 2010 season at a time when state budget cuts have hit mental health services hard.

"We hope all candidates will take note," Fitzpatrick said. "Mental illness affects Republicans, Democrats and independents alike."

"Our local NAMI chapter works tirelessly to fight stigma and provide vital support for area families," the director of the mental health services board in Lake County, Ohio told The New-Herald News about its local NAMIWalk on August 23.

"State budget cuts... have been devastating. Now more than ever, NAMI is an important ally for local families."

CALIFORNIA
Kern County	Bakersfield	October 16
Los Angeles County	Santa Monica	October 2
Orange County	Huntington Beach	October 2
Riverside/San Bernardino	Hemet	November 6

GEORGIA	Atlanta	September 18

IDAHO	Boise	October 2

ILLINOIS	Chicago	September 19

IOWA
NAMI Iowa	Des Moines	October 2
Scott County	Davenport	October 2

KENTUCKY	Lexington	October 16

LOUISIANA
Acadiana	Lafayette	October 2
New Orleans	New Orleans	October 9

MICHIGAN	Orchard Ridge	September 25

MINNESOTA	Minneapolis	September 25

MISSISSIPPI	Jackson	November 6

MONTANA	Helena	September 26

NEW HAMPSHIRE	Concord	October 3

OHIO
Butler County	Hamilton	October 2
Summit County	Akron	October 2
Mahoning Valley	Canfield	October 2
Greater Cleveland	Cleveland	October 2

PENNSYLVANIA
NAMI Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	October 2
SW Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	October 3

RHODE ISLAND	Providence	October 2

SOUTH CAROLINA	Hilton Head	October 16

TEXAS
Austin	Austin	October 2
Tarrant County	Ft. Worth	October 16

TENNESSEE	Nashville	October 23

UTAH	Salt Lake City	September 18

VERMONT	Burlington	September 11

VIRGINIA	Richmond	October 9

WISCONSIN
Brown County	Green Bay	September 26
Dane County	Madison	October 3
Fox Valley	Appleton	October 2

About NAMI

NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1100 state and local affiliates that engage in research, education, support and advocacy.

NAMI is non-partisan and does not endorse candidates.

www.nami.org

http://twitter.com/namicommunicate

http://www.facebook.com/officialNAMI

SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness