Letter from the Executive Director
Mississippi 2618 Southerland Street Jackson, MS 39216 601-899-9058 • 800-357-0388 Fax: 601-956-6380 • namims.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from the President of the Board 2 2019 State Conference & Gala 3, 14, 15 NAMI Pine Belt 4 NAMI Vicksburg 5 NAMI Oxford 6 NAMI Meridian • NAMI Four Rivers (MS) 7 Cupcakes & Cocktails 8-9 NAMIWalks 10-11 StigmaFree 12 Education 13 Friends of NAMI MS Board 15 Volunteer Highlight 15 Advocacy 16 Membership 16 System of Care 17 Calendar of Events 18 Support Group Contacts 18 Board of Directors 19 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brett Mayfield, President Mary Harrington, Vice President Sharon Turner-Davis, Secretary Marcus Ginn, Treasurer Sherry Bouldin, At Large Jesse Coppenbarger, At Large Hanne Gaycken, At Large Clinton Smith, At Large Harold White, At Large Nancy White, At Large Auvergne Williams, At Large Christiane Williams, At Large Thomas Carson, Peer Leadership Council Representative Patricia Battle, Meridian Affiliate Representative Kimberly Brownlee, Pine Belt Affiliate Representative Richard Raymond, Central Mississippi Affiliate Representative Randall Williams, Vicksburg Affiliate Representative STATE OFFICERS Tameka Tobias, Executive Director Sitaniel J. Wimbley, Program Director Kinshasa Watson, Development Director Rita Hodges, Account Manager Tamara Jones-Smith, Conference Coordinator Kawanna Jenkins, Education Outreach Volunteer Latasha A. Willis, Community Outreach Specialist Amanda Prevost, Community Outreach Specialist AFFILIATES Central Mississippi Four Rivers (MS) Gulf Coast [Program Affiliate] Pine Belt Vicksburg Meridian Oxford Yazoo [Program Affiliate] NAMI ON CAMPUS Jackson State University USM Gulf Park Millsaps College [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.
2 NAMI Mississippi
H
appy New Year! I would like to take this time to personally “Thank You” for your dedication to NAMI Mississippi. As we move into the new year, please know we will work diligently to continue the mission. In doing so, we will work collectively alongside NAMI Vicksburg/Yazoo City, NAMI Pine Belt, NAMI Oxford, NAMI Central MS, NAMI Four Rivers, and NAMI Meridian to support and strengthen their great efforts by way of training and visioning sessions. In addition to working alongside our active affiliates, we will revitalize the MS Gulf Coast and provide services in the Yazoo City, MS Delta, and Desoto County areas. Revitalization efforts will include awareness events in the form of town hall meetings, face-to-face meetings, membership recruitment, social media marketing efforts, and listening sessions. To strengthen our NAMI MS Signature Programs by way of statewide training, we are in the preliminary stages of confirming trainer availability, identifying and securing venues, participant recruitment, and marketing efforts. If you know or someone that you know is interested in becoming a Mental Health Ambassador, please contact the state office. In addition to hosting NAMI Signature Programs Trainings, we will also offer Youth Mental Health First Aid Classes in the following areas: Meridian, Oxford, Jackson, Natchez, Hattiesburg, and Vicksburg. As many of you already know, we are working with MS Department of Mental Health and MS System of Care (SOC) Sites to develop the MS Peer Support Youth Council, MS Youth Peer Support Curriculum and provide an annual Youth Leadership Training Academy. In addition to
providing state-level assistance and youth training, we will offer local training and support to SOC families, staff and communities. Training provided to SOC youth, families, staff and communities will include: Say It Out Loud Presentations, Youth Mental Health First Aid Classes, Basics Classes, Family-to-Family Classes, etc. In addition to working with System of Care Sites, we are currently working to restructure and revitalize our NAMI MS Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The purpose of the NAMI MS Youth Advisory Council is to promote awareness, recruit future facilitators, presenters, and leaders. Also, we are pleased to announce the newly formed "Friends of NAMI MS" workgroup. This group will be responsible for fundraising planning efforts, advocacy efforts, and awareness initiatives. The work of “Friends of NAMI MS” will include but will not be limited to the NAMI MS Gala, Cupcakes & Cocktails and NAMI Walks. Fees from Friends of NAMI MS fundraising efforts will be used for emergency assistance to help members and support for the operations of NAMI MS not covered with grant funds. Lastly, as many of you know, “NAMI MS Turns 30” this year! This is a great milestone and we are honored to share the years of progression! To do so, our theme for all of our events will be NAMI Mississippi Turns 30: The Journey Continues. Please mark your calendar to attend some of these great events we have planned! Sincerely, Tameka Tobias NAMI Mississippi Executive Director