NAMI Mississippi Summer 2019 Newsletter

Mississippi SUMMER 2019

Pag es 8-9 Affiliates p. 4-10

State Conference p. 10

Open Up Mississippi p. 11

Board Members p. 14

Mississippi 2618 Southerland Street Jackson, MS 39216 601-899-9058 • 800-357-0388 Fax: 601-956-6380 • namims.org

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Letter from the President of the Board

hat an amazing summer!

Our gala was a hit, our TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Board President 2 conference was a blast, NAMIWalks Mississippi 3 and our affiliates continue to reach into NAMI Pine Belt 4 their communities to support our fellow NAMI Vicksburg 5 NAMI Oxford 6 Mississippians. As we continue through NAMI Meridian, Four Rivers, Central MS 7 the fall season, we have even more Highlights 8-10 opportunities! NAMIWalks Mississippi, Introduction to Open Up Mississippi 11 Stigma Free Company

12 our NAMI Mississippi state walk, is Education Updates 13 Saturday, October 5, and is an awesome Board of Directors 14-16 opportunity to come out in support of the Calendar of Events • Support Group Contacts 17 Member-Get-A-Member Campaign 18 wonderful programs and presentations Membership 19 NAMI offers.

Continuing our work to build and BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brett Mayfield, President strengthen NAMI communities all Mary Harrington, Vice President & Oxford Affiliate around the state, our affiliates are Representative hosting local walks and events. NAMI Harriette Mastin, Secretary Marcus Ginn, Treasurer Vicksburg is hosting a walk this weekSherry Bouldin, At Large end, September 28th, at the Pemberton Clinton Smith, At Large Mall. NAMI Meridian is hosting a “Fun Christiane Williams, At Large Jesse Coppenbarger, At Large Time with Super Heroes” event at Bonita Sharon Turner-Davis, At Large Lakes Park in the Grove on October Kim Brownlee, Pine Belt Affiliate Representative 12th (come dressed up!), and NAMI Patricia Battle, Meridian Affiliate Representative Auvergne Williams, Central MS Affiliate Representative Pine Belt will be hosting their walk at Thomas Carson, Peer Leadership Council Kamper Park in Hattiesburg on October Representative 26th. What an exciting line up!

Megan Hamm, Four Rivers MS Affiliate Representative Whether through walk events or other STATE OFFICERS community gatherings, we’re working to Sitaniel J. Wimbley, Program Director promote mental health awareness - not Kawanna Jenkins, Education Outreach Volunteer Latasha Willis, Community Engagement Specialist just during Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 6-12), but all through Newsletter Layout Led by Emily Gunning the season. We are excited to work with AFFILIATES our partners at the Mississippi DepartCentral Mississippi ment of Mental Health, and with other Four Rivers (MS) Pine Belt Vicksburg Meridian Oxford Coastal MS (Developing) Tupelo (Developing)

The NAMI Mississippi newsletter is funded by donations from members and partners, and is published to inform, educate and strengthen the community of individuals and families affected by serious mental illness. The articles and opinions within are not necessarily those of the NAMI Mississippi organization. Content is not intended to endorse any political candidates, viewpoint, treatment or medication.

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organizations and nonprofits across the state as the face of mental health care in Mississippi changes in response to Judge Carlton Reeves’ ruling earlier this month.

At NAMI Mississippi, we continue to develop programs and supports that meet the needs of our fellow citizens, but we are especially proud of the work that happens each week in our amazing local affiliates. Stay tuned to see new affiliates being developed across the state as we pursue and expand our mission to make sure all Mississippians have access to mental health services and supports.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a deep thanks to Tameka Tobias for her leadership over the past few years.

Tameka is leaving NAMI Mississippi and will be pursuing other opportunities, but we are grateful for her hard work in developing some of our most successful programs. Her work with our youth programs over the past two years is a tribute to her passion and commitment to our mission. Tameka, we wish you the best of luck as you move forward.

Sincerely,

Brett Mayfield, President NAMI Mississippi Board of Directors

Tameka, thank you for five years of service.

Tameka Tobias, NAMI Mississippi Executive Director 2014-2019

Saturday, October 5, 2019 Jackson, MS

Join the NAMI Mississippi mental health walk to raise funds and awareness to help change perceptions about mental illness.

Register and Donate Today! namiwalks.org/mississippi

For more information, contact: walkmanager@namims.org (601) 899-9058 #namiwalksmississippi

Check-in at 8:00am Walk at 9:00am Mayes Lake at Lefleur’s Bluff 3315 Lakeland Terrace Jackson, MS 39216

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t’s hard to believe that the year is already half way complete, unless you look back at the activities of our affiliate during the months of January through June 2019. Once again, we’ve been blessed with excellent speakers at our monthly meetings, and several high points of success with mental health events.

January saw several of our members involved in community support activities such as Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Council meetings, grand rounds with nurses at Forrest General Hospital, Human Rights Committee at South MS State Hospital, NAACP Youth Diversion Board Meetings, and the Veterans Stand-Down Conference in Hattiesburg.

February had us attending the Department of MS Consumer Planning Council.

One of our members, David Connell, was selected as Chair of the Council, and Amanda Clement was elected at the Vice Chair. Sandy Kinnan is the secretary of the Council. We also assisted with an event to promote outreach to homeless people in the Pine Belt. We attended the Region 12 Community Mental Health Center “Make a Plan” Advisory Board Meeting. Two of our members spoke at the CIT course in Hattiesburg.

In March, we briefed the City of Hattiesburg Mayor and City Council on the City’s progress in promoting mental health.

Debbie Dale, the NAMI MS Pine Belt Affiliate President, presented a special advocacy award to Mayor Toby Barker, recognizing the City of Hattiesburg’s proactive commitment to mental health. We invited the city to foster Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Courses for the City employees.

We agreed to help procure MHFA instructors and to provide refreshments for the students. We introduced the CIT graduation speaker, Tameka Tobias (our NAMI MS Exec. Director), to the assembled graduates and their supervisors. Two of our members also spoke to officers during the CIT course in Laurel.

In April, we continued to support the 4 NAMI Mississippi

clients of the South Mississippi State Hospital (SMSH) by conducting support groups and by participating in their human rights committee. We attended the CIT Advisory Board Meeting, the Veterans’ Organizations” Liaison Meeting, the SMSH Friends Recognition Luncheon, and the NAACP Youth Diversion Board Meeting.

May was a particularly active month, Hattiesburg Behavioral Health Court Panelists at the NAMI Mississippi State Conference (Left to Right: Judge Curry; Dr. Porter; Mayor Barker; Khadijah Muhammad; Brent Hurley from DMH) COURTESY NAMI PINE BELT

as we attended the NAMI MS State Conference in Jackson and enjoyed the 30th Year Gala Celebration. We were pleased that Judge Deborah Gambrell, one of our members, received a key NAMI MS Award for Advocacy. We met with the Mayor of Hattiesburg, Toby Barker, and the head of the City Behavioral Health Court, Judge Wes Curry, to prepare for a panel at the State Conference. In addition to these mental health advocates, the panel included three of our members (Dr. Rita Porter, Khadijah Muhammad and Dr. Joe Kinnan). Dr. Porter is the adult services clinical director for the Region 12 Community Mental Health Center.

It should be noted that Debbie Dale represented us at the “Bridging the Gap” meetings at SMSH in February and May. Finally, we were pleased to spearhead the MHFA Course in late May for the City Parks and Recreation Department’s summer employees.

In June we sponsored another MHFA Course at the Family YMCA. We formed our NAMI MS Pine Belt Affiliate WALK Committee. We have

thirteen members directly involved with the WALK planning. It will occur on October 26th at Kamper Park in Hattiesburg. We hope to exceed last years’ goal of $12,000.

A recent announcement: Linda Foley, an affiliate member, and the premier grant writer for the Region 12 Community Mental Health Center, has been selected to COURTESY NAMI PINE BELT receive a major Chancery Court Judge Deborah Receiving NAMI MS CIT award at the Gambrell Advocacy Award from NAMI CIT Internation- MS Pine Belt Affiliate President al Convention Debbie Dale. this year. She has been the catalyst for rapid growth of CIT programs in Mississippi.

In addition to the above activities, the NAMI MS Pine Belt Affiliate members have assisted numerous families through referrals and counseling during the past six months.

We will continue to serve on the Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources’ committees addressing jail diversion and assertive community mental health treatment. We look forward to our summer Kick-Off for the WALK in August. We welcome our members to begin to form WALK teams and to assist us with other mental health programs as they evolve.

- Submitted by Joseph E Kinnan, PhD Treasurer of NAMI MS Pine Belt Affiliate

Participants at the NAMI MS Sponsored Youth Mental Health First Aid Course in Hattiesburg.

PHOTOS COURTESY NAMI PINE BELT

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AMI Vicksburg-Yazoo has had a busy spring beginning with affiliate development training April 3rd and a quarterly affiliate meeting introducing NAMI’s newest educational power point seminar Family and Friends on April 23rd. This presentation hosted by the affiliate enabled the six trained program leaders to do a preview of the 90-minute seminar in preparation for future sessions to be scheduled. The seminar, which can also be presented as a four-hour PowerPoint for churches and other orgs, provides a great way to educate the public using a shorter format than that required for the Familyto-Family class. Upcoming seminars will be scheduled upon request or by invitation.

Other education classes have also been set for the fall. Family-to-Family will be taught on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. beginning September 9th. NAMI Basics will be scheduled as soon as the co-teacher has completed teacher training. (The July training was canceled due to weather issues.)

Peer-to-Peer will be taught by Thomas Carson and Monica Wolters on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – Noon for eight weeks beginning October 5th. Pre-registration is open for all programs via email to namivicksburg@gmail.com. All classes will be held in the Merit River Region West Campus Conference Room.

On a sad note, one of the most significant sources of trauma in the area served by NAMI Vicksburg-Yazoo has been the ongoing presence of flood waters which have inundated the homes and farmland and have remained standing over a period of many months bringing great emotional distress and loss to the people. During the 2011 flood, NAMI Vicksburg was able to offer a support group for flood victims and had hoped to be able to do the same for those currently suffering. However, the various methods of outreach put in place by affiliate leader Randall Williams to those impacted by the flood sadly did not receive a response this year. We can only hope to be called upon as needed by this group of

Harriette Mastin, Thomas Carson and Emily Gunning pictured with Alexis Murrell, Miss Vicksburg 2019, at her health fair in June.

long-suffering people.

Other outreach by NAMI Vicksburg-Yazoo includes the immensely popular birthday parties led by Mary Pope and Sarah Johnson at Wisconsin Cove and the Warren Yazoo Group Home; the Miss Vicksburg Health Fair on June 8th with Emily Gunning, Thomas Carson, Deloris McGee, Sarah Johnson, and Randall Williams among other affiliate members; a mental health support group led by Randall Williams at Crossway Church along with a class on youth mental health to increase faith-based involvement; mental health resource directory prepared by participants in the mental health class at Crossway Church; letters to Vicksburg Warren School District SPED Dept. Head Addison-Ross and Curriculum Development Head Germany from Randall Williams informing them of the availability of NAMI resources for staff professional development; letter to VWSD Superintendent Chad Shealy in support of a U.S. Department of Labor grant to develop and enhance healthcare-related training opportunities for students interested in a career in health care.

NAMI Vicksburg-Yazoo is gearing up for its first NAMIWalks Vicksburg 5K Walk for Mental Health scheduled for Saturday, September 28th, at 8 a.m. in the Vicksburg Mall on Pemberton Blvd. Vendor tables with health-related info will also be available.

Deloris McGee, the NAMI Vicksburg Walk Chair, along with co-leader Jenny Drake, has been doing an outstanding job of marketing the event by meeting with prospective sponsors and local officials and preparing and distributing outreach materials. We invite everyone to join us as sponsors, donors, vendors and walkers for a morning of fun! For questions or info about the walk or a display table, contact Deloris at 601-7381554 or email namivicksburg@gmail.com.

Kudos to our state support group leader trainers Thomas Carson and Randall Williams for the trainings they have done around the state and to our newest F2F

COURTESY NAMI VICKSBURG

teacher trainers Deloris McGee and Jenny Drake, who attended the national training to prepare themselves to train F2F teachers. In addition, these four members’ outstanding service to the affiliate has extended to the WALK Fundraising Committee, the Education Committee, the CIT Committee, and the Governance Committee just to name a few.

Many thanks to NAMI MS for the exceptional 2019 NAMI MS State Conference and the 30th Anniversary Gala! Several affiliate members presented at the conference, and a table full of affiliate members celebrated at the gala together.

NAMI Vicksburg was designated as an Outstanding Affiliate, and seven affiliate members (Mary Pope, Sarah Johnson, Randall Williams, Denise Mounger, Bill Mounger, Thomas Carson, and Marci Turner) received Certificates of Appreciation for their long years of distinguished service to NAMI MS and NAMI Vicksburg. These award certificates were received on behalf of the honorees by Randall Williams, Vicksburg Affiliate Rep to the NAMI MS Board.

NAMI Vicksburg-Yazoo will hold its quarterly Affiliate Meeting on Tuesday, July 23rd at 6 p.m. in the Warren Yazoo Behavioral Health Conference Room, 3444 Wisconsin Ave. We heartily congratulate Warren Yazoo Behavioral Health on the 10th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Cove Apartments! WYBH has been a friend to NAMI MS and NAMI Vicksburg for more than 20 years now, and has graciously provided meeting space for our classes and affiliate meetings. We are most grateful.

- Info provided by Affiliate Rep Randall Williams and Affiliate President Thomas Carson for NAMI Vicksburg-Yazoo.

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with mental health issues at the state level.

A meeting has been scheduled with him on July 19th.

Members of our affiliate also plan to attend the LOU Mental Health Alliance networking breakfast on July 10th.

Both our family and consumer support groups continue to thrive, thanks to the

COURTESY NAMI OXFORD

leadership of Hanne Gaycken and Clarice Ivy. We are pleased that new people have joined both groups, and we hope to expand our reach for this important outreach activity.

This year, the Oxford Affiliate raised more than $700 for the state walk.

Our two support groups continue to thrive, with a core group of members plus new people attending.

- Submitted by NAMI Oxford affiliate members

Rest in Peace, Amanda Williams

COURTESY NAMI OXFORD

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he Oxford NAMI Affiliate is sad to announce the death of one of its long-standing and beloved members: Amanda Williams. Amanda was very active in the local NAMI chapter, and taught several Family-to-Family courses. She was an artist, and used her talents to design our NAMI T-shirts and banner. Her family asked that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in her name to NAMI. Our Affiliate is excited to announce these funds will be used to establish the Amanda Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. This money will be used to fund travel grants for people who are affiliated with NAMI who may not otherwise be able to attend NAMI conferences and other educational events. We believe this is a very fitting way to honor Amanda’s work and memorialize her dedication to NAMI. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, please send your contribution to NAMI MS, with a designation that it is for the Amanda Williams Scholarship Fund.

During this past quarter, the Oxford NAMI Affiliate has been very active, particularly focusing on networking and outreach activities.

Hanne Gaycken and Mary Harrington attended the NAMI MS State Conference on May 16-17 in Jackson. Both agreed the conference programming was excellent. During the conference, Mary conducted a focus group with affiliate representatives statewide who discussed challenges and successes they have experienced recently. Hanne and Mary also enjoyed attending the 30th Anniversary Gala, which was a lovely formal affair. A big thanks to Tameka and her team for putting together both these fantastic events!

Hanne Gaycken, Mary Harrington, and Michael Danahy from the Oxford NAMI Affiliate met with Kerry McNatt and Kenneth Johnson from Communicare on June 5th, to discuss potential ways we might partner together in an effort to promote mental health in our community. Communicare representatives said they would investigate the possibility of including us in their new employee orientation sessions. They also invited us to the LOU Mental Health Alliance

Networking Group which meets July 10.

As a result of the meeting with Communicare, we were invited to attend their workshop held on June 19th, “Cultural Competence: What You Need to Know,” presented by Albertstein Johnson-Picket.

Hanne Gaycken, Clarice Ivy, and Michael Danahy attended, and Hanne gave a brief introduction to NAMI Oxford to the audience. We also distributed business cards to the participants, with details of our two local support groups. The workshop was highly interactive, fun, and emphasized the need to reach young people of all ethnic and socio-economic groups. It was mainly for counselors, but several officers of the Oxford Police Department were also present.

On June 26th, Hanne Gaycken, Carol Van Besien, Clarice Ivy, and Michael Danahy met with Sandy Rogers, Director of Communicare, as well as the crisis coordinator and several counselors.

We discussed our activities and potential opportunities for partnering. One of the counselors plans to attend our affiliate meeting at the end of July.

We are pleased that Kevin Frye, candidate for the MS State Senate, wants to meet with members of our affiliate to learn more about NAMI, and how he might be able to help

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he Steering Committee for NAMI Four Rivers MS met on July 2, 2019 at the home of Harold and Nancy White. The following members were in attendance: Emily Fox, Megan Hamm, Amber Bowman, Ann and Kathleen McCraven, Arrick Rice, Harold and Nancy White. The minutes from the last meeting was approved and a treasury report was reviewed.

Old Business: Emily and the Whites shared about the changes in support groups in the area and how to advertise to get more people involved. The Natchez group is growing and will continue to meet every third Thursday in Natchez. The Brookhaven group will no longer meet in Brookhaven, but plan to support any groups in the area that wish to get started.

CIT training is still going well in Pike County and another training is planned for July 15th through the 19th.

Membership was discussed and everyone was encouraged to invite those who are interested to join. Also, discussion was shared about how to make NAMI Four Rivers more visible in the community (booths at community events, radio spots, etc.).

New Business: The next affiliate meeting

will be held in September with the subject of suicide as the main focus since September is National Suicide Awareness month. Nancy White is meeting with members of the Junior Auxiliary in Brookhaven to join with them in this public forum. Date, place and time will be decided shortly and plans are being made to make this a community event with NAMI and JA. Plans for a NAMI Walk was discussed and no decision yet was reached about how our affiliate wishes to proceed for this year. This will be one of the topics to be decided at our next meeting.

Megan Hamm will represent NAMI Four Rivers MS as our board member in place of Harold and Nancy White.

Meeting was adjourned.

Note: Arrick Rice from Natchez joined our Steering Team. He will be a great addition to our group. We continue to look for additional members to add.

A major achievement for us was the formal certification of NAMI Four Rivers MS as an affiliate of the NAMI MS family!

As of June 30, we had 13 members with active status. We have several with lapsed status we hope to renew soon. Our financial report showed $1999.62 on hand. We began a Family Support Group in Brookhaven January of 2018. We discontinued that group

after June 2019 due to low participation and to support the beginning of a Family Support Group in Natchez. This group is led by Emily and Arrick. There seems to be more potential in Natchez at this time. We now have people in our region trained in facilitating Family Support Groups and Peer to Peer NAMI programs. We also had trainings for Mental Health First Aid. Affiliate Meetings We held affiliate meetings in Brookhaven, McComb and Natchez. Each meeting was very successful with approximately 40 – 55 people in attendance. Our meetings in McComb and Brookhaven focused on CIT efforts by law enforcement. Pike County conducted their first CIT training in January of 2019 in Magnolia. NAMI Four Rivers MS is a partner there and participated in the training. A second group will be trained July 15 – 19, 2019.

The February meeting in Natchez focused on substance abuse / opioid crisis. This meeting generated a lot of interest with 55 attendees.

Emily Fox, President Harold White, Vice-President Nancy White, Secretary Ann McCraven, Treasurer Curtis Oliver, Outreach / Public Relations

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he NAMI Central Mississippi affiliate held a quarterly meeting on May 6, 2019, at Galloway United Methodist Church. The featured speaker was Dr. Jefferson D. Parker, associate professor at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Dr. Parker discussed ongoing developments at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, including the new Division of Interventional Psychiatry, and developments in treatment for addiction and psychiatric patients. During the meeting it was discussed that going forward we hope that our affiliate will be a collaborative effort of all our Central Mississippi affiliate members as leaders to grow the affiliate and deliver services to our communities.

The Thursday weekly meeting of NAMI Connection recovery support group at Cups on Lakeland Drive in Jackson continues to be well attended by an average of 8-10 peers. The Connection program is a vital part of what we do at NAMI Central Mississippi to reach and engage those in need of support in the process of living with a mental illness.

- Submitted by Auvergne Williams Summer 2019 7

t An n iversary

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30

Gala

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NAMI Mississippi hosted its first ever gala to celebrate its 30th anniversary on May 16th, 2019! This black-tie fundraising and awards gala featured an evening of food, music and a silent auction. Emceed by Maggie Wade, this event was held in conjunction with NAMI Mississippi’s Annual State Conference. Jazz artist Pam Confer and the soulful sounds of Andrew Pates, Jay Wadsworth and James Jenkins gave outstanding performances and entertained throughout the evening.

inu

NAMI Mississippi’s 30th Anniversary Gala

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PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY MCGEE

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Jo Th

PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY MCGEE

PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY MCGEE

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NAMI Mississippi staff pose for a group photo. Left to right: Emily Gunning, Sitaniel Wimbley, Tameka Tobias, Amanda Prevost, Latasha Willis and Kawanna Jenkins.

A group photo of gala guests and award recipients.

Left: Wendy Bailey receiving the Award of Excellence from executive director Tameka Tobias.

PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY MCGEE

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NAMI Mississippi 2019 State Conference This year, NAMI Mississippi held it’s annual conference at Belhaven University on May 16-17th 2019. The event featured many breakout sessions and guest speakers including (but not limited to) Mayor Barker, Judge Wes Curry, Deloris McGee, Dr. Joy Hogge, and Aurora Baugh.

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The statewide, youth lead advisory council held its press conference and meeting on May 18th, 2019! This meeting featured guest speakers Tiffany ColemanMcGee, Alexis McGrigg, and De’Marco Fomby.

The youth participated in interactive breakout sessions that involved both art therapy and spoken work poetry writing.

PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY MCGEE

For more information, visit openupms.org

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mentalhealthfirstaid.org

12 NAMI Mississippi

by Sitaniel J. Wimbley, Program Director

Upcoming Education Classes

Congratulations, NAMI Peer-to-Peer Leader Training Graduates!

Vicksburg - Peer-to-Peer Leaders: Monica Wolters & Thomas Carson Location: Merit Health River Region West Campus Conference Room, 1111 N. Frontage Rd. Start Date: Saturday, October 5, 2019

Pictured second to fourth: McComb • Jody Fortenberry • Debbie Little • Emily Gunning

Gulfport • Shan Abbott • Cheloyn Todd • Tracy Stopson

State Trainers Latasha Willis (far left) and Monica Wolters (far right) were the facilitators. NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, two-day training education program for adults. The course is designed to help all peers understand and support others with mental illness while maintaining their own well-being.

We also thank Thomas Carson of NAMI Vicksburg and Jessica James of NAMI Central Mississippi for becoming recertified as NAMI Peer-to-Peer Leaders!

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Oxford - Peer-to-Peer Clarice Ivy & TBA Location: TBA (Oxford) Date: Start in October Time: TBA

Pine Belt - Peer-to-Peer Leader: Jody Fortenberry & TBA Location: TBA (Hattiesburg) Date and Time: TBA

Basics – TBA

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BOARD MEMBERS

We would like to welcome and introduce our new and returning board members!

Brett Mayfield, President William “Brett” Mayfield, a teacher at Madison Central High School, teaches courses in AP Psychology, the Psychology of Conflict, and AP Human Geography.

An instructor for nearly two decades, Mr. Mayfield earned his master’s degree in teaching from Belhaven University.

of the stigma, the challenges and the heartbreak of mental illness. NAMI has been a source of support, strength and inspiration to Mary as she deals with her daughter’s illness. As a board member, Mary will remain firmly committed to NAMI’s goals to educate, advocate and support in order to improve lives for those living with mental illness in our state.

secretary of the NAMI MS Board and the Warren-Yazoo CMHC Advisory Council.

Marcus Ginn, Treasurer

Harriette Mastin, Secretary

Mary Harrington, Vice President & Oxford Affiliate Representative Mary Harrington recently retired from the University of Mississippi, where she served as Director of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Strategic Planning. She has been a member of the United Way Board of Directors for the past 10 years, and is active in many other community projects. Mary has taught Family-to-Family classes, served as Walk Captain for the NAMI Oxford Affiliate (the state’s top fundraiser), and is a regular participant in the NAMI Oxford support group. Mary is the mother of an adult daughter living with mental illness, and has firsthand experience 14 NAMI Mississippi

Harriette has been a member of NAMI since 2000. She is a state trainer for Family-to-Family; family support facilitator; teacher for Family-toFamily, Family & Friends, Provider Ed, and BASICS for Parents as well as its predecessor Visions for Tomorrow.

She submitted Vicksburg’s application to become an affiliate of NAMI MS in 2001. Member of NAMI MS Board from January 2004 until January 2018 and from July 1, 2019 to the present. Worked with NAMI MS through the re-chartering process (completed Sept. 2013) and helped NAMI Vicksburg achieve reaffiliation in accord with the NAMI Standards of Excellence in Dec. 2015.

Board service: chair of the NAMI MS BOD Nominating Committee; member of the NAMI MS Affiliate Development Committee, the Bylaws Committee, the Education Committee, and the Public Policy Committee. Other service:

Sherry Bouldin, At Large Sherry Bouldin is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Mental Health Therapist.

She has a successful private practice in psychotherapy where she treats a range of disorders with the application of practical modalities. She has held major roles in promoting the transformation of the state’s mental health system into a recovery and oriented system of care along with the development and sustainment of the Peer Specialist Program. With ten years plus as a mental health professional, she has held positions through the ranks as a Division Director, Program Administrator, Mental Health Therapist, Suicide Prevention Specialist, Wellness Recovery Action Plan

Facilitator, Consultant, Presenter and an Advocate of mental health. Sherry holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in Counseling/ Human Resources.

Christiane Williams, At Large

Clinton Smith, At Large Clinton Smith was born in 1939 in Brookhaven, the location of most of his ancestors. He grew up in Jackson and finished college at Tulane University.

He completed medical school at Marquette University in Milwaukee, and his residency training in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at the University of Minnesota. He practiced primarily at UMMC in Jackson, and retired in 2011.

His wife is Lois Smith, who spent many years in NAMI, worked with direct care workers at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield, and was a contractor for the Department of Mental Health. They have a son with serious mental illness who lives in the Warren-Yazoo group home. They are both avid readers, and Smith is writing his memoirs.

Christiane Williams has been in law enforcement/corrections for 20 years. She has extensive training in all aspects of law enforcement/corrections. She is certified in law enforcement with an educational background in criminal justice. She is active in the behavioral health community in the area of law enforcement/corrections, a Certified Mental Health First Aid Public Safety Instructor, and also currently serves as a Priority 7 Committee Member of the Mississippi Urban Research Center (MURC).

In the last four years, she has been very active in the mental health community assisting persons with a mental illness get the help they need when they become a part of the criminal justice system.

In May 2015, she gave a presentation at the statewide NAMI conference entitled, “Mental Health and Probation.”

She is involved in various community organizations involving adults and youth, serving as president and a board member. Christiane currently works as an agent with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She resides in Jackson, Mississippi and has one son.

Kim Brownlee, Pine Belt Affiliate Representative Jesse Coppenbarger, At Large

Kim Brownlee, born and educated in the Pine Belt area of Mississippi, first

became involved in NAMI through the recommendation of a United States Navy Commander in San Diego, CA. Kim is a Master’s prepared national and state nurse educator with a background in maternalchild health and bioethics. As a mother, Kim relentlessly advocates for the mental health and wellness of children and young adults. As a NAMI Pine Belt member, Kim volunteers as the affiliate social media coordinator, serves as a NAMIWalks team member, and supports the Forrest County Behavioral Health Court efforts.

Kim is interested in building family support resources in the Pine Belt as well as strengthening intraprofessional collaboration through student and professional organizations throughout Mississippi.

Sharon Turner-Davis, At Large Sharon Turner-Davis holds both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in sociology and criminology from Mississippi State University. Throughout her professional work both in and out of the classroom, she has developed an astute awareness and understanding of the social, racial, economic, health and educational needs of diverse populations within society.

Having been born and reared in one of the most economically stagnated, educationally challenged and racially oppressed areas of this country, the Mississippi Delta, she is aware of the need to provide essential mental health support services, community organization and planning for diverse populations. Sharon has served as a full-time or adjunct instructor of sociology for more than 10 years at several institutions of higher learning throughout the state of Mississippi.

She is a full-time instructor of sociology

(cont’d)

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at Hinds Community College and an independent research evaluator for various federally-funded projects. As a research evaluator for more than 20 years, Sharon has conducted evaluation research and analysis on an array of community, educational and social issues including health and wellness, early childhood development, parental engagement and involvement, teenage pregnancy prevention, community engagement in early education and family social problems.

development model that will help NAMI Mississippi be received in rural communities. She has been involved in training seminars and workshops on multiculturalism and inclusiveness.

Patricia has taught outgrowth studies on culturally diverse groups of people and persons with disabilities. She has also been trained in the four models of the California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale and Training Program (CBMCS).

Patricia Battle, Meridian Affiliate Representative

Auvergne Williams, Central MS Affiliate Representative

Patricia Battle has been a member of NAMI Mississippi since 1997, and she has an adult son living with mental illness. She is the president of the NAMI Meridian Affiliate and a member of the NAMI African American Networking Group. She also serves on the Meridian Community Partnership on Mental Health, the Friends of Central Mississippi Residential Center, the Central Mississippi Residential Center Human Relations and Advocacy Committee, and the NFusionX Governance Board.

She retired from being a bank officer to become the administrator for the Mississippi Choctaw United Methodist Mission, which has allowed her to gain knowledge about the Choctaw culture.

She has an interest in an outreach

Thomas Carson, Peer Leadership Council Representative

Thomas is a Certified Peer Support Specialist at Warren-Yazoo Behavioral Health in Vicksburg, working in housing services. He has been active in NAMI since 2003 and has served as a trainer, mentor, facilitator and presenter in several of its educational programs, including Peerto-Peer, In Our Own Voice and NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group.

Megan Hamm, Four Rivers MS Affiliate Representative Megan has a broad exposure to many facets of the mental health field, professionally and on a personal level.

Megan is the mother of a child managing mental illness. She plays the role of advocate for her child to get accommodations that ensure a fair and equal education. She shows leadership skill through her volunteer work and in her career. Megan is active in her community through board memberships and service to others.

She is active in the her organizations that include NAMI Four Rivers steering team, DMH Youth Advisory Counsel, Community Action Group of Brookhaven, Inc, Dr. A.L. Lott Youth Sports and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Megan enjoys attending trainings and conferences to help her develop, personally and professionally.

Megan’s life’s work and passion is to help erase the stigma associated with mental illness and to increase access to quality mental health services for those in rural, lower socioeconomic, and underprivileged communities in Mississippi. She has a passion to help children and youth in being empowered to live healthy and productive lives.

May you have a successful and productive year ahead!

16 NAMI Mississippi

CALENDAR OF EVENTS September September 28th - NAMIWalks Vicksburg October October 5th - NAMIWalks Mississippi October 12th - NAMI Meridian’s Mind Matters 2019 October 19th - NAMI MS Board Meeting & Visioning Session October 26th - NAMIWalks Pine Belt November System of Care Annual Youth Meeting & Visioning Session, Jackson, MS December Staff and Holiday Appreciation Luncheon January NAMI MS Board Meeting & Visioning Session

Youth Mental Health First Aid, Meridian, MS NAMI Oxford Affiliate Visioning Session February MS Consumer Advisory Council Meeting, Jackson, MS Day at the Capitol NAMI MS Signature Programs Training Academy March Say It Out Loud, McComb, MS Youth Mental Health First Aid Training, Ridgeland, MS Say It Out Loud Presentation, Hattiesburg, MS TBD Say It Out Loud Presentation, Jackson, MS Say It Out Loud Presentation, Pine Belt

AFFILIATE & SUPPORT GROUP CONTACTS NAMI FOUR RIVERS (MS), REGION 11 Family Support 3rd Thursday of the month Merit Health Natchez, Magnolia Room 54 Sergeant Prentiss Dr., Natchez, MS 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Contact: Emily Fox – 662.801.8700, Arrick Rice – 601.951.0887 agingmatters@gmail.com fourrivers@namims.org NAMI CENTRAL MS (JACKSON), REGION 8, 9 Affiliate Meeting Announced as scheduled.

Family Support 2nd Thursday, 7 p.m.

St. Catherine Room @ St. Dominic Hospital In the Basement by Cafeteria 969 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS Contact: State Office - 601-899-9058 Connection Recovery Support Each Thursday, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Cups in the Quarter 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, MS Contact: John McFadden - 601-956-1856 NAMI PINE BELT (HATTIESBURG), REGION 12 Affiliate Meeting The Last Tuesday of the Month (January through October) at 6 p.m.

Forrest General Hospital Cafeteria Meeting Room 6051 US 49, Hattiesburg, MS Contact: Amanda Clement - 601-297-7014 NAMI MERIDIAN, REGION 10 Affiliate Meeting First Tuesday of the Month, Noon – 1 p.m.

Meridian Activity Center, 3300 32nd Ave., Meridian, MS Contact: Patricia Battle at 601-527-3734 or Jill Walsh at 601-917-1474 Connection Recovery Support Tuesdays, 5 p.m.

Wesley House Community Center, 1520 8th Ave., Meridian, MS Contact: Jill Walsh at 601-917-1474 Family Support Contact: Patricia Battle at 601-527-3734 NAMI OXFORD, REGION 2 Family Support 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

North Mississippi Regional Center, Administration Building 967 Regional Center Dr. (off Hwy 7 South), Oxford, MS Contact: Hanne Gaycken - 662-234-9572, 662-801-6530, or gaycken@bellsouth.net Connection Recovery Support Sundays, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

North Mississippi Regional Center, Administration Building 967 Regional Center Dr. (off Hwy 7 South), Oxford, MS Contact: Clarice Ivy - 662-816-0469 clariceiam@yahoo.com NAMI VICKSBURG, REGION 15 Affiliate Meeting (Quarterly) Jan./April/July/Oct., 6:00 p.m. Call for dates.

Warren-Yazoo Behavioral Health Conference Room 3444 Wisconsin Avenue, Vicksburg, MS

Contact: Harriette Mastin at 601-630-9470 or 601-218-0843 Connection Recovery Support 1st Wednesday of the month, 4:30-6 p.m.

Merit Health River Region West Campus, Conference Room 1111 North Frontage Road, Vicksburg, MS Contact: Thomas Carson at 601-529-4677 or Thomas Spates at 601-619-9320 Family Support 1st Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m.

Merit Health River Region West Campus Conference Room, Vicksburg, MS Contact: Mary Pope at 601-437-3156 or Randall Williams at 601-630-7724 NAMI COASTAL MS (DEVELOPING), REGIONS 13, 14 Affiliate Meeting First Saturday of the Month, 1 p.m.

The Arc, 3109 Gulf Ave., Gulfport, MS Led by Cynthia Shields and Shan Abbott Contact: The State Office at (601) 899-9058 Connection Recovery Support Wednesdays, 1 p.m.

Mental Health Association of South Mississippi 4803 Harrison Circle, Gulfport, MS Contact: Courtney Wuest or Maegan Willis at (228) 327-4644 NAMI TUPELO (DEVELOPING), REGION 3 Affiliate Meeting Last Monday of the Month, 6 p.m.

LIFECORE’s PACT Building 1927 Briar Ridge Tupelo, MS Contact: Denika Poole at (662) 322-7262 tupelo@namims.org

Summer 2019 17

18 NAMI Mississippi

MEMBERSHIP As a reminder, the NAMI Board of Directors has decided to add a Household membership category to our membership structure as well as increase the dues for Regular and Open Door memberships. All of these changes became effective July 1, 2017.

Household Membership - $60 Regular Membership - $40 Open Door Membership - $5 A Household membership will apply to everyone living in a single household whose names are provided to NAMI. Regular and Open Door memberships will continue to apply only to one individual. For voting purposes, each membership (including Household) will be counted as one (1) membership.

Encourage your friends and family to join at namims.org/join.

As an added membership bonus, every NAMI Mississippi member will receive a personalized membership card. Look for yours in the mail after your dues are received by the State Office.

Carry it proudly!

NAMI Mississippi is seeking Community Outreach Volunteers in each of our affiliate areas. A list of affiliates can be found at https://namims.org/affiliates/.

Volunteers will: • Identify outreach opportunities • Monitor information tables – Set up and take down a table with NAMI information for NAMI in the lobby at hospitals, health fairs and community outreach fairs in local libraries, parks, hospitals, business, etc. Time involved: 1-4 hours per fair (weekends available).

To apply, complete the application at https://namims.org/volunteer-application/. Please send questions to stateoffice@namims.org.

Summer 2019 19

Mississippi

2618 Southerland Street Jackson, MS 39216

SUMMER 2019

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In our efforts to “go green,� we encourage you to opt in for the digital version of the newsletter that can be sent to you via email.

If you are interested, please send an email to stateoffice@namims.org.