Spring 2016 Newsletter

NAMI-MISSISSIPPI 2618 Southerland Street 1 Jackson, MS 39216 (601) 899-9058 (800) 357-0388 Fax: (601) 956-6308 www.namims.org Letter from the President of the Board NAMI Central Mississippi NAMI Hattiesburg South NAMI Vicksburg NAMI Meridian NAMI on Campus Board Nomination Conference Registration The Education Corner Resources & Upcoming Calendar of Events NAMIWalks & Highlights Affiliate & Support

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BOARD MEMBERS Debbie Waller, Board President Patricia Battle, Vice President Taunjah P. Bell, Secretary Hank Rainer, Treasurer Brett Mayfield, At Large Jim Hornback, At Large Thomas Carson, Consumer Council Harriette Mastin, Representative Beverly Pettigrew, Representative Gloria Mwase, Representative Joseph Kinnan, Representative Lynn Gilbert, Representative

SPRING 2016

BUILD IT TOGETHER Striving Towards Diversity and Inclusion in Addressing Serious Mental Illness

STATE OFFICERS Tameka Tobias Smith, Executive Director Reagan Harvey, Community Outreach Manager Kyndall Jones, Volunteer Coordinator Kawanna Jenkins, Education Coordinator

AFFILIATES Central Mississippi Gulf Coast Hattiesburg Vicksburg Meridian Oxford Yazoo City

President Beverly Hogan Tougaloo College

Mary Giliberti, CEO National Alliance on Mental Illness

Robin O’Bryan Author and Advocate

NAMI ON CAMPUS Jackson State University USM—Gulf Park Campus

The NAMI Mississippi newsletter is funded by donations from DMH, 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 of those of the NAMI Mississippi organization. Content is not intended to endorse any political candidates, viewpoint, treatment, or medication.

Diana Mikula, Executive Director MS Department of Mental Health

Thomas Carson, Jr. CPSS NAMI MS Consumer Council Representative

Tammy Witherspoon MS State Senator

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Letter from the President As we look forward to our 2016 NAMI Mississippi State Conference, “Build It Together”, let’s take a look back at our progress. The Board has spent the last few months organizing our committees and planning for the upcoming year. This was accomplished with holding a strategic planning session with affiliate leaders and board members. We have identified and prioritized the following as our top five goals:

Expand participation and awareness of NAMI signature programs Strengthen organization capacity

Enhance advocacy efforts Strengthen self-help support for consumers and families Continue to increase consumer participation in NAMI Mississippi activities Plans have been made to continue monitoring progress toward achieving the goals.

We want to accomplish these goals, but in order for us to do so, we need the help of everyone. NAMI should be an organization of diversity. We should embrace our differences and learn from one another. Hope is the theme to be shared with all people. Let’s open up the dialogue! As we have found hope through NAMI, may we share this message with everyone. There are many ways in which our membership can become involved, as a committee member, board member, through fundraising, advocacy, and other volunteer opportunities.

Everyone is needed.

Look forward to seeing everyone at the 2016 NAMI Mississippi Conference May 12-13. We have a great agenda!

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The Central MS affiliate is having a busy quarter as we work to re-energize our group!

In January, we kicked off 2016 with an Affiliate "Meet and Greet" Open House. Over 50 participants engaged in this event and brought a great energy to the gathering. We shared about our plans for the year, requested input on other needs we could help address, and celebrated the resiliency and success of people living with mental illness. We were encouraged to see many members who had been active in the past return and recommit to working with us. And there were a number of new faces there, too! There was also great food and fellowship as we spent some time just getting to know each other.

In February we launched our Spring Family to Family class with 13 participants and two NAMI-certified instructors. The class included individuals from different walks of life who are all striving to support family members with mental illness. We were heartened to have two married couples in the class and the men were actively engaged in the classes! Some of the participants who were not NAMI members have decided to join the organization and to continue in the NAMI Family Support Group. Registration is already beginning for the Fall class.

As an ongoing community of family members with loved ones who are mentally ill, our Family Support Group (led by a NAMIcertified facilitator) meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the St. Catherine's room at St. Dominic's Hospital.

The group continues to grow and has become an important resource and complement to formal mental health services for many family members seeking to assist their relatives with mental illness in building resilience, gaining stability, and maintaining recovery.

Similarly, our Connections peer support group maintains a regular weekly meeting time on Thursdays at 1:30 pm at Books A Million on I-55 North. Led by a NAMI-trained facilitator, participants living with mental illness have found this to be a trusting and supportive environment in which to share about their lives and the challenges of their illnesses and to help each other find resources and support. It's also a great time to relax and connect with others who can relate to their situation over a cup of coffee.

On April 7, we are launching our Spring Peer-to-Peer class. This free class, offered by NAMI-certified instructors, will help individuals living with mental illness better understand their conditions and the steps necessary to support recovery. It's not too late to register! For more information, go to www.namims.org and click on 2016 Class Schedule.

The Affiliate is planning activities to inform, engage and support our members. Our next Affiliate meeting will be held on March 29 at 6:00 –7:00 pm at Madison Central High School located at 1417 Highland Colony Parkway, Madison, MS 39110.We will feature a guest speaker from Precise Research Centers, who will discuss clinical research breakthroughs related to mental illness, clinical trials underway, and ways that NAMI members can get involved. Don't miss this opportunity to ask questions and learn more about medical advances that can support people living with mental illness.

The Central MS Affiliate is also working to improve the systems and supports for people living with mental illness and their families.

--An Affiliate representative has joined the Adult Make a Plan team (AMAP), led by the Hinds Behavioral Health Center, to assist other mental health service providers and contribute the resources of NAMI in supporting individuals with serious mental illness who are at risk of institutionalization.

--An Affiliate representative has also joined the recently formed Criminal Justice Reform Task Force convened by Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber. Stay tuned for more updates as we explore ways to better support individuals with mental illness who are arrested or incarcerated.

For more information about the activities of the Central MS Affiliate or to get involved, please contact Brett Mayfield at NAMICentralMS@gmail.com and don’t forget to like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/namicentralms

Prepared by: Gloria Mwase, NAMI Central Mississippi

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HATTIESBURG SOUTH NAMI SOUTH AFFILIATE continues their stigma-busting in 2016. Exciting things are happening (and are planned) that will strengthen mental health programs throughout our geographic area.

We strive to have informative guest speakers at each of our monthly meetings, and we promote partnerships where possible to strengthen mental health services. For example, at our January meeting we hosted two graduate students from the USM Psychology Clinic who gave us excellent insight into the services available to university students and others in the community. We donated funds to help them more effectively serve indigent clients. We also intend to refer people to them for assistance.

Thanks to some substantial federal grants, the liaison between mental health and law enforcement agencies is growing in a very positive direction. Our affiliate members will be a part of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training affecting people in crisis from Jones and Forrest counties. Pinebelt Mental Healthcare Resources (PBMHR) obtained the grant and formed an advisory committee to develop the training and implement the program. NAMI South members participate in the planning done by the committee. The major grant writer, Linda Foley, and the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Jones County, Major Jamie Tedford, will be the next speakers at our monthly meeting.

Because of the tremendous success of the Minority Mental Health Forum last year, we will partner again with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to sponsor another forum this July. Some of the topics will touch on suicide prevention, mental health wellness, and crisis intervention. Two of our members were recently honored at the AKA Founders Day in Petal, Mississippi. Joe and Sandy Kinnan received the AKA Annual Health Promotion Award for their tireless efforts to foster mental health education and advocacy throughout the state. We thank AKA leaders for their commitment to NAMI programs. They are a major part of the NAMI team‌nationwide.

We now look forward to attending the NAMI-MS State Conference and interacting with NAMI members from across the state. We are sure that such interaction and the briefings by NAMI National speakers will strengthen our resolve to implement best-practice programs to benefit people who struggle every day with mental health issues.

Thanks to the NAMI-MS Board training in January, we better appreciate the efforts and programs of our sister affiliates in Mississippi. We pledge to support them throughout the year and to encourage their members to join with us as we significantly diminish the effect of stigma on vulnerable people.

Prepared by: Joseph E. Kinnan, Ph.D NAMI Hattiesburg South

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The re-affiliated NAMI Vicksburg celebrated the New Year by advertising for both F2F and Basics classes. The F2F Class, taught by Bill and Elizabeth Cantrell with Deloris McGee as resource person, began Jan. 28th. The Basics class scheduled for Feb. 16th did not have enough parents registered to be taught. However, so many professionals called about the class that the affiliate is trying to arrange a class for professionals to be held in the upcoming months. One of the callers, a case manager from the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Center, asked NAMI V’bg. to supply 60 brochures which the Center could use during an upcoming Advocacy Workshop for parents. Then on Jan. 20th, Basics teacher Janice Garner represented the affiliate at the Chamber of Commerce’s “Leader in Me” Day at Beechwood Elementary School.

The quarterly meeting of the Vicksburg Affiliate was held on Jan. 26, 2016. Our guest was Sheriff Martin Pace of Vicksburg who spoke on how his department handles individuals in a mental health crisis when they break the law. Don Brown of WarrenYazoo Mental Health also addressed crisis intervention as it is happens between law enforcement and Warren-Yazoo Men. Health.

Sheriff Pace is very knowledgeable about mental illness, and his department has had an ongoing good work relationship with WYMH for many years. Sheriff Pace also shared that he was sending several of his officers to Meridian to be trained as Crisis Intervention Trainers (CIT) for his deputies in Warren-County. He indicated that he had close ties with the Lauderdale County CIT officers and was looking forward to working with them.

Jan. 29th-30th brought the NAMI MS Board and Affiliate Training with Jinneh Dyson of NAMI. NAMI Vicksburg was represented by seven members who joined various board committees: Shirley Hedrick, Deloris McGee, Mary Pope, Randall Williams, Thomas Carson, Jim Hornbeck, and Harriette Mastin. Several affiliate members also submitted applications for the post of State Representative to the NAMI National Veterans & Military Council.

Even though it has attained re-affiliation, NAMI Vicksburg still has a list of key areas that need to be addressed in the coming months. There is a great need for a Connection Support Group facilitator and for other consumer programs. We are currently working on hosting a Connection facilitator training in Vicksburg toward the end of April. In the absence of a Connection support group, the Affiliate has invited consumers and family members to get together informally at our First-Friday Breakfast Club, 8:30 a.m., at Shoney’s for food, fun, and fellowship. We have also invited everyone to join us for a movie and birthday party for one of our family members. We will plan another informal gathering as spring arrives.

The Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce asked NAMI V’bg. to participate in providing items for a Welcome Basket to be given to people moving to V’bg. The Affiliate has purchased 50 NAMI V’bg business card magnets and rack cards advertising the programs and services of NAMI to be put with other items for the basket as an outreach to the newcomers.

The next quarterly meeting of the Vicksburg Affiliate will be Tuesday, April 26th at 6 p.m., WYMH Conf. Rm., 3444 Wisconsin Ave. The agenda will include a discussion of the budget, Connection training, and Election of Officers. Bill Mounger, Thomas Carson, and Sarah Johnson are serving as the Nominating Committee for election of the 4 affiliate officers & 2 at-large members for 2016-17.

Prepared by: Mary Pope, Chair, NAMI Vicksburg-Warren County

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The NAMI Meridian Affiliate's calendar for the year is already beginning to fill up.

The NAMI Meridian Affiliate started off the year with submitting a THANK YOU to East Mississippi Electrical Power Association’s page of the newspaper – Today in Mississippi. We wanted to thank EMEPA for being so cooperative in providing us use of their auditorium the last few years. EMEPA employees have gone out of their way to ensure that NAMI Meridian Affiliate has always had a very satisfying experience in helping bring mental health awareness to the community.

The Meridian Affiliate had three representatives at the NAMI Mississippi Affiliate training in Jackson, January 30.

We felt the meeting propelled the state organization and affiliates to move forward in growth, leadership, and outreach to the community. Kathy Faust and Jill Walsh joined the Public Relations and the Fund-raising committees, and are looking forward to helping make a difference.

February 9 – NAMI Mississippi's Day at the Capitol! Amanda Carter said that she and other AKA sorority members from the Meridian area spoke with legislators in support of getting mentally ill suspects the help they need and not just housed in a jail when incarcerated. Jill also attended the event and was encouraged by learning that others in the state were eager to listen and learn about NAMI, and wanted to join or re-join the organization. In particular, House of Representatives member Earle Banks talked for at least an hour that evening to NAMI members regarding his interest of “what can you do for me?” Hopefully, he and his family will take advantage of all that NAMI has to offer.

Additional events for the first quarter of 2016 have included Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) awareness efforts for which two proclamations were signed for CIT Awareness Month, February. One of the proclamations was signed

by Meridian Mayor Percy Bland, and the other signed by Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors, President Kyle Rutledge. Our affiliate members and CIT representatives were present and their remarks were well received by officials during both the City Council and Supervisors' meetings.

The latest East Mississippi CIT officer training graduated 13 officers from 5 different agencies on February 12. The graduation was attended by affiliate members. The 2nd Annual CIT Appreciation Banquet was held February 16, which was hosted by the NAMI Meridian Affiliate. Several CIT officers and their guests were able to attend, hearing just how appreciated they are for their daily sacrifices and also, for their special dedication to the mentally ill.

The guest speakers were Dr. Thomas Kirchberg, Chief of Psychology, VA Medical Center, Memphis, Tennessee and Jake Hutchins, Director of the Bureau of Community Services, Mississippi Department of Mental Health and Tameka Tobias Smith, NAMI MS, Executive Director A Peer-to-Peer class is ongoing at Central Mississippi Residential Center (CMRC) and a Family-to-Family class is scheduled for March 22 – April 28.

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The first quarter will end by attending and presenting a display at a health fair March 19.

The second quarter begins with “Let's Talk: Diversity In Action” workshop on April 25.

We had planned a 2-day WRAP workshop in May, but the workshop had to be canceled due to grant monies running out for the Mental Health Associates of South Mississippi. We were saddened to hear of the cancellation, but hopeful that they will soon get another grant so more WRAP workshops can be provided for free – since they are a vital part of recovery for consumers and are great resources of information and understanding for their loved ones, and for those in the mental health profession.

Now, we have to come up with a plan B to promote May as Mental Health Awareness Month. As for the State Conference, hopefully several members of the Meridian Affiliate will be able to attend.

A membership party is planned for June 14 at EMEPA as a way to cap off the Member-Get-A-Member Campaign.

This is when we will celebrate returning members, new members, and those interested in what NAMI is about.

Third quarter – our program for National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, called “Voices of Hope”, is currently being planned for July 14. We will again attend the Trauma Informed Conference being held September 20-22.

Fourth quarter – For National Mental Illness Awareness Week, our signature Annual Candlelight Vigil is planned for October 4, and a NAMI Meridian Affiliate event, Mind Matters, will be held in October.

Then November is NAMIWalk time! We plan to round out the year again with our Service Project – giving Christmas gift bags to area shelters and group homes, etc.

As an affiliate, we have also been discussing how to popularize NAMI Meridian Affiliate. We, as a group, will work on putting together flyers, getting on radio and TV, attending more health fairs, and supporting Alliance Health Center, Weems Community Mental Health Center and NFusion X with their events, etc. We are hopeful, too, that NAMI Basics will come to Meridian soon.

Whew! Hope everyone has a successful year. See you at the State Conference.

Prepared by Patricia Battle and Jill Walsh, NAMI Meridian

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NAMI ON CAMPUS JSU So far this academic year, our NAMI club has participated in several community service activities:

A training/presentation for JSU police officers. Training well received and we were asked to consider repeating it this summer after the chief considers authorizing officer pay for attendance.

A coat and clothing drive in late November/early December for patients at Mississippi State Hospital.

Assisted with the Red Cross Gala for disaster relief in Mississippi. We are also planning a tour of Mississippi State Hospital and one more community service activity before the end of the year.

Submitted by Juliette Schweitzer, Co-advisor to JSU NAMI on Campus

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NAMI ON CAMPUS USM GULF PARK CAMPUS NAMI on Campus is now part of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach, Mississippi (MS). As of March 1st, the club was chartered by USM and has over 40 committed members. Liz Glantz, the club’s president expresses her gratitude to everyone who has aided her throughout this process. She states that the assistance she received from Tameka Tobias-Smith in the NAMI MS state office, and Jona Burton at USM was vital to the establishment of the club.

The club had their first “unofficial” meeting in February. During this meeting, they organized a week-long event celebrating National Random Acts of Kindness Day (2/17). Positive post-it notes were left around campus and passed out to people. It was a great success! NAMI on Campus has been welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm at USM. As a result, there are many clubs on campus that want to team up with NAMI on Campus for events. Everyone is very excited about this club, and is ready to get involved in fulfilling NAMI’s mission. The club’s next meeting will be held on March 22nd, so stay tuned for updates in the next newsletter!

2016 NAMI MS Board Election NAMI MS needs your help in finding qualified nominees for the position of at-large board members on the 2016 NAMI Mississippi Board of Directors. Term of Office: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2019.

According to the NAMI MS Bylaws, a candidate for the board must be a dues-paying family member or an individual living with a mental illness. Professionals may serve on the board, but no more than 30 % of the board may be made up of this category.

Obtain permission from the individual first before nominating! Qualifications: Look for someone with board experience; leadership qualities; familiarity with mental health issues; an acquaintanceship with NAMI; expertise in areas of finance, fundraising, and board development; someone who will commit to taking on responsibilities within the organization for at least three years.

Inform your nominee of these desired qualifications!

Candidates must be: NAMI members in good standing; willing to attend quarterly (or sometimes monthly) meetings in Jackson; willing to serve on several working board committees; willing to support, identify, diversify, & actively engage in fund-raising; oversee resources; select, support, and evaluate the executive director; advance the organization’s mission of education, support, and advocacy; work to strengthen affiliates through membership growth, revitalization, and re-affiliation. Term of office: Three years.

Deadline for receiving nominations is April 30, 2016. Nominees will then be contacted by the Nominating Committee. A ballot with the names of the nominees along with a brief bio of each will be prepared and mailed out to the membership for voting by May 30, 2016.

NAMI Mississippi Board of Directors Nomination Form Mail to: NAMI MS, Attention: Nominating Committee, 2618 Southerland St., Jackson, MS 39216 or Email: Nominating Committee (Chair Harriette Mastin) at mastin8@juno.com Deadline for receiving nominations is April 30, 2016!

I, ___________________________, a dues-paying member in good standing of NAMI Mississippi, do nominate _____________________________, also a dues-paying member in good standing of NAMI MS, as a candidate for a position of at-large member of the NAMI MS Board of Directors. He/She has agreed to serve if elected and has the necessary qualifications as noted in the above description to be a dedicated and active Board member. This nominee may be contacted via this address:________________________________________________________ Telephone: H. __________ Wk. _____________Cell: ____________; Email:_______________________________ He/She is (check one) a Family Member/Individual with Mental Illness________ or a Professional________. *Please attach a page of introduction telling why you believe that this person would be a good choice; what this person has done in the past to advance understanding of mental illness or to improve services for mental illness; what skills or interests he/she will bring to the board; and what area of interest or need for system improvement he/she would like NAMI MS to address. *Self-nominations of qualified individuals are welcome and may be submitted by email to the Nom. Comm. at mastin8@juno.com or stateoffice@namims.org. Deadline to receive: April 30, 2016.

Nominating Committee Members: Harriette Mastin, Taunjah Bell, Thomas Carson, Jim Hornback, Clarice Ivy, Jeanne Yarbrough.

“BUILD IT TOGETHER” Striving Towards Diversity and Inclusion in Addressing Serious Mental Illness May 12-13, 2016 UMMC Conference Center Jackson Medical Mall 350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive Jackson, MS Using Peer Support to Engage Individuals Living with Mental Illness in Multiple Settings Beverly Pettigrew & Sandra Caron, Certified Peer Support Specialist, NAMI MS Supporting Parents of Young Children with Mental Illness Nikki Flippins, LMSW, Families as Allies and Laura Smith, LMSW, Families as Allies Keynote Plenary: Making a Difference in Mental Health Care Debbie Waller, NAMI MS Board President Mary Giliberti, Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness Developing Competence to Be a Mental Health First Responder Elizabeth Reynolds, Licensed Professional Counselor, Crisis Coordinator, Hinds Behavioral Health Services Using Motivational Interviewing to Overcome Resistance To Treatment Damien J. Thomas, Ph.D., Licensed Professional Counselor, Resilience Counseling and Recovery Center Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Children in Foster Care Amy Turner, LMSW, Program Director of Children’s Services, Catholic Charities Enhancing Geriatric Care for Elders Paula VanBuren, LMSW, Director of Business Development, Parkwood Behavioral Health Center Educating Policymakers about Strategies to Improve Mental Health Zandrea Ware, Esquire, MS Association of Community Mental Health Centers Caring for the Caregivers Barbara Radebaugh, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Parkwood Behavioral Health Plenary: Addressing the Mental Health Issues of Incarcerated Individuals and Ex-Offenders Ragan Downey, Ph.D., Pine Belt Mental Health Resources Captain Wade Johnson, retired Meridian Police Officer and CIT Training Coordinator Blake Feldman, Advocacy Coordinator, American Civil Liberties Union Saying It Out Loud: Helping Youth Living with Mental Illness Speak Out and Seek Help Kaitlyn Watson, 2016 Jack and Jill Queen April S. Love, Miss Black Mississippi US Ambassador 2016 Andrea Hightower, Former MS Teen MS, Moderator Brett Mayfield, Teacher, Madison Central High School/NAMI MS Working with Faith-Based Organizations to Support Individuals Living with Mental Illness Bradley Smith, Ph.D., Director of Adult and Online Psychology Programs and the Institute for International Care and Counsel, Belhaven University Engaging Veterans Living with Mental Illness Dr. Ena Knott-Scott, Clinical Psychologist and Co-Local Recovery Coordinator, Veteran Administration Dr. Shawn Clark, Supervisory Psychologist and Co-Local Recovery Coordinator, Veteran Administration Sanford K. Greenwood, Certified Peer Specialist, Certified WRAP Facilitator and Recovery Coach

Meeting the Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ Youth Eric Wood, PFLAG Representative

REGISTER WWW.NAMIMS.ORG/CONFERENCE

THE EDUCATION CORNER

Presenter Training JUNE 10, 2016 St. Thomas Catholic Church located at 3117 W. 4th Street, Hattiesburg, MS What is NAMI Parents & Teachers as Allies?

NAMI Parents and Teachers as Allies is a free, two-hour mental health education in-service for school professionals to help them better understand the signs and symptoms of emotional and behavioral difficulties that may be early warning signs of mental illnesses in children and adolescents.

The in-service program follows a structured format covering issues frequently faced by school professionals, parents and other family caregivers to give them a better understanding of:  The early warning signs of mental illness  The lived experience of parents raising a child with a mental illness  The challenges that children and adolescents face when emotional and behavioral disturbances are part of their school life Presenter Qualifications Current or former educator, who is also a family member or individual living with a mental health condition, a parent whose child experienced symptoms of a mental health condition during their school years and a young adult who experienced symptoms of a mental health condition while in school .

Interested in attending this training? Contact us at 601-899-9058 or stateoffice@namims.org

NAMI EDUCATION CLASS SCHEDULE Registration is ongoing! Sign up for your area!

STATEWIDE TRAINING COMING SOON Interested in being trained as a Facilitator, Presenter or Teacher?

Contact Education Committee Chairperson at brettmayfield@aol.com

REMINDER Teachers, Facilitators and Presenters Please attend the monthly 2016 Technical Assistance Calls: NAMI Education, Training and Peer Support Center

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS April 9:

Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc and NAMI Impact Awareness Day

May:

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2-6: Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week

May 5:

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

May 12-13: NAMI Mississippi Annual State Conference June 10:

Parents and Teachers As Allies Training

June:

LGBT Awareness Month

July:

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

August:

Back To School Rally

September: Mental Health Recovery Month September: NAMIWALK Kickoff Luncheon September: Suicide Prevention Awareness Month October 2-8: Mental Illness Awareness Week October 6:

National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding

November 5: NAMI Walk November:

Caregivers Awareness Month

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GOAL $40,000 DATE November 5, 2016. 9:00 a.m.

VENUE The Mississippi Museum of Art THEME Walkin' Away the Blues - Concentration on #Act4MentalHealth and Voting HONOREES Legislature and Elected Officials WALK INFORMATION MEETING The Walk Information Meeting will be held on May 12, 2016 at The Pig and Pint, 5-7 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

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NAMI Mississippi Affiliate & Support Group Contacts CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI Monthly Affiliate Meeting: Contact Brett Mayfield - 601-259-0522 www.facebook.com/namicentralms Capital Area Family Support Group Meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Basement by Cafeteria of St. Dominic Hospital, Lower Level.

Patricia Montgomery Jackson Consumer Support Group Meets Thursday at 1:30p.m.—3:00pm, Books a Million on I-55 in Jackson, Mississippi John McFadden: 601-942-4943 OXFORD MISSISSIPPI Oxford Family Support Group Meets the 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at North MS Regional Center, Administration Bldg. Hwy 7 South Contact Hanne Gaycken 662-234-9572 or 662-801-6530 Oxford Connection Consumer Support Group Meets Sundays 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Baptist Memorial Hospital Magnolia Room, Clarice Ivy, 662-801-2944 GULF COAST Consumer & Family Support Groups TBA

NAMI VICKSBURG Quarterly 4th Tuesday Affiliate Meeting, 6 p.m., Warren-Yazoo Mental Health Center Conference Room., 3444 Wisconsin Avenue Contact Harriette Mastin, 601-630-9470/601-218-0843 or Mary Pope, 601-437-3156. Email: namivicksburg@gmail.com Vicksburg Family Support Group Meets the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at Merit River Region WEST Campus, 1111 N. Frontage Road Facilitators Mary Pope and Randall Williams Friday Breakfast Fellowship Meets the 1st Friday of each month at Shoney’s, 8:30 a.m. Open to everyone.

NAMI MERIDIAN Meridian Connection Consumer Support Group Meets Tuesdays 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Wesley House Community Center, 1520 8 th Avenue, Meridian, MS, Jill Walsh, 601-917-1474.

YAZOO CITY Monthly Affiliate Meeting 1st Tuesday of Each month |Warren Yazoo Mental Health Yazoo City Parent & Family Support Group Meets Thursdays from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Warren-Yazoo MHC Contact: Beverly Pettigrew - 662-571-3902 or Lashell Steward - 662-746 -5712

MISSISSIPPI SPRING 2016

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