10th Annual NAMIWalks New Orleans Recap

On Saturday, October 5, 2019, NAMI New

Orleans celebrated the 10th anniversary of our

NAMIWalks! NAMIWalks is NAMI’s largest

public awareness event and fundraiser

combatting the stigma of mental illness.

With the help of 700 registered participants,

88 walk teams, and 19 sponsors we raised

$106,387.05 for our no-cost programs

supporting individuals and families affected by

mental illness.

Mark your calendars for NAMIWalks

New Orleans 2020 on Saturday, October 3rd!

In This Issue:

NAMIWalks Recap

2019 Accomplishments

Message from the President

More NAMIWalks Recap

Ongoing Support Groups

Recognizing Elizabeth Boh

Find Us on Amazon Smile!

The Impact of Your Support

Holiday Giving Special

NAMI Membership: Join or Renew

W i n t e r 2 0 1 9

NEW ORLEANS’ VOICE ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Some of our 2019 accomplishments:

Dozens graduated from the

NAMI Family-to-Family class

Hundreds certified in Mental

Health First Aid

Hundreds more attended support

groups for people living with mental

illness, their loved ones, or survivors

of suicide loss

More than one thousand

accessed resources with the help of

our Mental Healthcare Navigation

Team or our resource guides

After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, don’t forget us on Giving Tuesday!

Go to https://namineworleans.org/donate_now

Can my voice really make a difference? A life-changing impact? Even though it’s easy to convince ourselves that one person can’t really do much to change things, every now and then we have to acknowledge that yes, one person can, and yes, if we don’t try, we’ll never know.

Many years ago I was at the Louisiana Capitol for a meeting. During a lunch break I found myself in a hallway where senate committees were in session. The sign outside one room said the hearing was about mediator qualifications. As a practicing child custody mediator I was interested, so I stepped inside.

The panel was considering whether to allow retired judges to become child custody mediators without the required specialized training, reasoning that judges must already know what they needed to know. I was aghast, because a judge may or may not have any knowledge of child development, family systems, communication skills and other topics important to child custody mediation.

So, I took a breath, took a chance, and took a speaker card. I was the only person to speak against the proposal, and after some initially dismissive remarks, one senator took my side and eventually swayed the others to vote against the bill. I think I was more surprised than anyone else in the room!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Those words, attributed to Marianne Williamson, remind us that what blocks us from using our voice to change the world is probably hiding the very thing that actually could create that life-changing impact.

A Message From the Board President: Susan Norwood

Board Member Recognized as

Outstanding Philanthropist by

Assoc. of Fundraising Professionals

ONGOING SUPPORT GROUPS Please check our online calendar or call

(504) 896-2345 for schedule changes

NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

A monthly group for adult loved ones of people

Every first Wednesday

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at

NAMI New Orleans’ Uptown Office

1538 Louisiana Ave. in New Orleans

Every third Tuesday

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at

NAMI New Orleans’ Westbank Office

2051 8th St. in Harvey

Every fourth Thursday

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at

Congregation Beth Israel

4004 West Esplanade Ave. in Metairie

NAMI CONNECTION PEER SUPPORT GROUPS

A weekly group for adults living with mental

illness offered at two locations:

Thursdays 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at NAMI New Orleans’ Uptown Office 1538 Louisiana Ave. in New Orleans

Fridays 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. at NAMI New Orleans’ Westbank Office 2051 8th St. in Harvey

SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

A peer-led support group for adults whose

lives have been impacted by the loss of a

loved one to suicide, whether recently or in

the past. The group meets 6:30 p.m. -

8:00 p.m. on the second and fourth

Wednesdays of each month at NAMI New

Orleans’ Uptown Office, 1538 Louisiana

Ave. in New Orleans. Please contact the

volunteer facilitators before attending

your first group at (504) 410-7025 or

survivors.nola@gmail.com. Visit

www.nolasurvivors.org for more info.

DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE (DBSA)

For people living with these disorders and

their loved ones. Adults only. The group

meets 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on the first

and third Tuesdays of each month at

Tulane-Lakeside Hospital, 4700 South I-10

Service Road in Metairie. Enter via the main

hospital entrance, cafeteria to the left.

Visit www.dbsaneworleans.org for more info.

MENTAL HEALTHCARE NAVIGATION TEAM (MHNT)

The NAMI New Orleans Mental Healthcare

Navigation Team (MHNT) is here to help

individuals and families find the resources

they need. Contact our MHNT Coordinator

at (504) 896-2345.

See full calendar of events at

www.namineworleans.org/calendar

living with mental illness offered at three locations:

Parking and entrance in the back!

NAMI New Orleans Board Member and

Development Committee Co-Chair Elizabeth

A. Boh was honored as the Outstanding

Philanthropist at the 2019 AFP National

Philanthropy Day Luncheon on Thursday,

November 7th at the Audubon Tea Room.

A retired banker and financial advisor, Elizabeth currently

devotes her time and talents to a number of philanthropic

organizations, including NAMI New Orleans. Through the

Elizabeth Anne Boh Fund, she has funded NAMI New

Orleans’ Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program

since 2017. To date, more than 750 Louisianans have

become certified Mental Health First Aiders. MHFA is an

evidence-based, eight-hour training that helps participants

recognize the signs of a mental health problem or crisis

and know what to do to assist.

Congratulations, Elizabeth! Thank you for all you do!

Contact Us!

NAMI New Orleans Uptown Friendship Club 1538 Louisiana Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 P) 504.896.2345 F) 504.896.2240 E) namino@namineworleans.org

NAMI New Orleans Westbank Friendship Club 2051 8th Street Harvey, LA 70058 P) 504.368.1944 F) 504.368.9784 E) westbank@namineworleans.org

www.namineworleans.org

Connect with us! @namineworleans

The Impact of Your Donation

Thanks to the generous support of our NAMI New Orleans

family, we have made a lasting impact in the lives of so many

Louisianans in 2019.

sends one family to the 12-week NAMI Family-to-

Family class to learn how to better support a loved

one living with a mental health condition

funds both peer-run NAMI Connection Recovery

Support Groups for one week

provides one NAMI In Our Own Voice presentation,

where two people share their journeys from first

symptoms to how they are living in recovery today

keeps our Mental Healthcare Navigation Team

running for one week

Annual Membership Dues: $40 Household Membership: $60 Please accept my additional donation of $_____

There is an open-door membership for those with fixed incomes. Contact Shannon at education@namineworleans.org or 504-896-2345 to learn more.

NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP: __________________________________________________________________________________________________

PHONE: __________________________ EMAIL: ________________________________________________________________________

Make checks payable & mail to: NAMI New Orleans ▪ 1538 Louisiana Avenue ▪ New Orleans, LA 70115

Let your voice be heard! Join or Renew your annual membership today!

Give the Gift of Hope Today!

With a tax-deductible gift of $100 or more, you will receive a

free NAMI New Orleans membership for one year.

Make a secure donation at namineworleans.org/donate-now,

or mail your gift to: NAMI New Orleans, 1538 Louisiana

Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115.

Contact Heather at heather@namineworleans.org

or (504) 896-2345 for more information.

Donate $100 and receive a FREE membership!

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