And the Winner of the "Best Spring NAMIWalk Photo Contest" is...

The NAMIWalks Team is excited to announce that Christina Antos won the "Best Spring NAMIWalk Photo Contest"! Her picture received 92 "Likes" on the NAMIWalks' Facebook page! Congratulations Christina!!! We also want to thank all the individuals who submitted wonderful pictures!

 

There is Nothing Like a Picture!

There is nothing like a picture to tell a story! Here are pictures that were taken at NAMIWalk Arkansas, NAMIWalk Delaware, NAMIWalk Mid-Carolina, NAMIWalk Mobile, NAMIWalk South Dakota, & NAMIWalk St. Louis. Enjoy!

NAMIWalks Photo Contest!

We want to see the best picture (horizontal) you took at a 2014 Spring NAMIWalk! Submit one photo that perfectly captured the event to namiwalkscontest@nami.org. The National Walk Team will select the top two photos and then post them on the NAMIWalks' Facebook page. The photo that receives the most "likes" will become the cover photo for the page and win a prize! Please only send one high quality picture. Any photos received after the first submission will not be considered. By submitting a picture, you are giving NAMIWalks the permission and rights to use the photo on the NAMIWalks' Facebook page, website, blog, and any other print/electronic marketing pieces. Photos must be received by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, July 11.

And the Winner of the "Why I Walk" Video Contest is...

The NAMIWalks Team is excited to announce that Karly Lent won the "Why I Walk" Video Contest! Her video received 64 "Likes" on the NAMIWalks' Facebook page! Congratulations Karly!!! We also want to thank all the individuals who submitted videos! They were all fantastic!!!

"Why I Walk" Video Contest

NAMIWalks is hosting a "Why I Walk" Video Contest for all participants of a NAMIWalk to enter! This is a FUN and creative way for you to show why and how you support NAMI and NAMIWalks! Please watch the video for the contest rules and information!

Release your creative juices and film a video today!!! 

Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheons

The NAMIWalks Team has been busy attending Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon (KOL) events around the country. The KOL, usually held 6 to 8 weeks before Walk Day, is a training session for registered and potential Team Captains. Team Captains learn innovative ways to raise funds, as well as receive the tools needed to form successful Walk Teams. Although the event is focused on training, we still manage to make the KOL FUN! Below are some pictures of KOL events! To view more photos, please Like the NAMIWalks' Facebook Page and see the 2014 Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheons album! 

Enter NAMIWalks' Design Contest!

Are you a professional graphic designer/illustrator/artist or just a person who likes to draw for FUN? Well NAMIWalks would love to see your work and enter you into our Design Contest! The winner will receive $500 and the opportunity to illustrate our nationally distributed graphic magazine! You don't want to miss this opportunity! See the flyer for details!

What’s a Walk Recognition Information Meeting (RIM)?

Since the inception of the NAMIWalks model, each NAMIWalk has included 4 events – Walk Information Meeting (WIM), Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon (KOL), Walk Day, and Post/Thank You Event. Over the course of the years, some of our Walk locations have combined their WIMs and the Post/Thank You Events, so we, the National Walk Team, decided to give this combined event a name (Walk Recognition Information Meeting – RIM) and make it part of our model. Now, all of our Walk locations have the opportunity to host 3 events instead of the traditional 4 events.

The Walk Recognition Information Meeting officially closes the current Walk Season and opens the new Walk Season! The Walk Manager will recap the success of the current Walk Season – he/she will discuss how much was raised, how the funds were used, recognize Walk Sponsors, and present awards to top walkers and Walk Team Captains. 

After wrapping up the current Walk Season, he/she will officially open the new Walk Season! The person will announce the date/location of the Walk, event goal(s), anything new they are planning for the event (a theme, entertainment, etc.), sponsors that have already committed to supporting the Walk, and information about sponsoring and/or volunteering for the event. 

This is a FUN event for the community that includes light fare and drinks! Volunteer sign-up sheets and sponsorship brochures are distributed at the event. Computers are set up, so people can register to lead a Walk Team, register as an individual walker, and/or make a donation.   

So, if you receive an invitation to a Walk Recognition Information Meeting, you now know what it is and what to expect when you attend!

Meditation shows Promise in Relieving Anxiety and Depression

Kathleen Vogtle, NAMI Communications Coordinator, wrote an interesting article about the benefits of meditation.
 

Image: Flickr/Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement

For many, the concept of meditation instantly brings to mind the quintessential image of the Buddha sitting with utter tranquility in the pretzel-like lotus position. The tranquility aspect is certainly accurate: meditation is a technique used to focus thoughts, reflect or relax.

Meditation is a means of developing wellness, an ongoing process of learning how to make choices that support a more successful, healthy life. A new review study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, showed that taking the wellness approach can result in a 17 percent decline in total medical visits and a 35 percent decline in medical visits for minor illnesses.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

The Valued ‘Virtual Walker’

My daughter, Kathy Busby, who is a Walk Manager this year, asked me to write a paragraph about the ‘Virtual Walker.’ What is a virtual walker anyhow? Well, my dictionary states that ‘virtual’ is defined as “being in effect or essence although not in actual fact or name,” and we all know what a ‘walker’ is! So a virtual walker is one who is not actually present on the occasion but has a very strong interest in the success of the endeavor. We’ve all heard the expression of being at a given event “in spirit” when the speaker wishes that he or she could be there physically but offers his/her blessing instead.

Our virtual walkers are very special people and are an essential part of the success of the whole event. It is understandable that due to age (I’m 94) or infirmity or other legitimate reasons, many are prevented from participating in the actual walk. It is surprising how many other opportunities are available to those who wish to volunteer for this important cause. The least that we can do (but very significant) is to contact a Team Captain and sign up as a Team member. There is strength and encouragement in numbers!

The ‘Virtual Walkers’ as a group are among the most significant cogs of the event—among whom are corporations, associations, philanthropists and individuals who are concerned about the plight of those who are dependent on our interest and understanding for their well-being. As usual in most appeals, the bottom line is funding. No organization can conduct their business without assets; without energy to keep the wheels turning, the effort would soon become stagnant and unproductive. Likewise with NAMI, their coordinated efforts to help individuals in need of care—to conduct classes for affected families, to organize efforts such as the Walk, to publicize the need for more action in regard to mental illnesses, to reduce the lingering stigma that surrounds mental illness—requires assets.

None of the above to accent the ‘Virtual Walker’ is intended to minimize the importance of the ‘Actual Walkers’ without whose presence there would be no Walk. So whether you are a ‘virtual walker’ or an ‘actual walker,’ please show your support by raising funds and awareness for NAMIWalks. You can make a difference today!

                                                                                                                                Herbert L. Phillips