The Power of the “T”

Almost all Walks have a t-shirt that people receive for raising a certain amount of money, and NAMIWalks is no different. Walkers who raise $100 or more receive a NAMIWalks t-shirt. These shirts have become significant in the lives of many; some walkers collect the t-shirts and have one from every year they have participated in NAMIWalks. The t-shirts serve as a reminder of their dedication to NAMI’s mission, the hard work they have put in to fundraising and spreading awareness during each NAMIWalk season, and the passion they feel toward improving the lives of individuals living with mental illness and their loved ones.

In addition to the official NAMIWalks t-shirt, there is another significant t-shirt for NAMIWalk participants -- the team t-shirt! The team t-shirts add excitement and FUN to the NAMIWalk, because they’re bright, colorful and usually include a witty statement. Most teams love creating a t-shirt for all of their members to wear on Walk day, because it shows their dedication to the event and wanting to help stomp out the stigma around mental illness.

Team members usually meet to decide their t-shirt's theme and design. This is a great activity to gather team members together before Walk day to get their creative juices flowing and to inspire them to continue fundraising and spreading awareness! After the t-shirts are designed and printed, the team members wear them proudly on Walk day because they know they had a part in creating the shirts.

We at NAMI love to see the t-shirts, especially the sea of people wearing like-shirts as they walk the event path. Most NAMIWalks vote on the team with the best t-shirt and presents the team captain with a prize.

So get excited and create a t-shirt that expresses your team’s feelings toward improving lives and changing minds around mental illness! We can’t wait to see what your team will design! The power of the "T" can bring unity to your team! 

  

Be Prepared to Walk in the NAMIWalk

The spring NAMIWalks are happening now, so here are some tips regarding how you can prepare for the Walk!

• Prior to the NAMIWalk, Team Captains should pick a specific place for your team members to meet at the event. Send an email to all of your members notifying them of the your designated location!

• All walkers should complete the collection envelopes with all the checks and cash you have collected enclosed. Walkers on a team, give your envelopes to your Team Captains. Individual walkers, give your envelopes to an official at the registration tables.

• Team Captains, have your team envelopes completed and have all of your team members’ envelopes enclosed prior to giving the envelope to an official at the registration tables.

• NAMIWalks are held rain or shine, so be prepared for inclement weather! If it’s raining or there’s a chance of rain, wear a rain coat or poncho and bring an umbrella. If it’s extremely warm and sunny, bring sun tan lotion and a hat. You can also bring a mist fan to keep you cool!

• Wear comfortable clothing and shoes and make sure they are appropriate for the weather. Remember we love teams and walkers who make their own t-shirts!

• When you arrive at the event check-in on Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and other online social networks! This is a great reminder for your friends, who are not participating in the Walk, to support you! Post pictures of the event on Instagram, Tumblr. and other online social networks! Show your friends what a great event they're missing!

• Get your muscles ready for your jaunt by stretching before step-off. You don't want to pull a muscle or have pain the next day!

• Remember to bring your team signs and other items you want to display at the event or carry as you walk.

• If your NAMIWalk allows dogs to attend and you want to bring your four-legged friend, make sure your furry-friend is on a leash!

These are just a few tips to ensure that you are prepared for the event and ready to have FUN at a 2013 NAMIWalk!!!

The Purpose of the Four Events that Make Up the NAMIWalks Program

Walk Managers are often asked - why are there four events that make up the NAMIWalks program? The simple answer is that we want to keep you - our sponsors, team captains, walkers and volunteers - inspired and informed about the program and the great work NAMI is providing in your community. Each event has its own purpose and importance to the NAMIWalk program, so I thought I would breakdown the concept/reason behind the events.

• Walk Information Meeting - We begin the NAMIWalk season with the Walk Information Meeting. This event is to announce the NAMIWalk date, goals and our plans to make the upcoming Walk FUN! We also discuss how the funds from the previous Walk benefited NAMI’s mission. We invite previous sponsors, team captains, key walkers and volunteers, as well as other people in the community who want to get involved with NAMI and the Walk.

• Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon - The Walk Information Meeting is followed by the Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon. The Luncheon serves as a training session for our registered team captains and those interested in becoming a captain. During this event we do discuss the importance of the Walk program, but we really concentrate on training our team captains on how to form successful teams and providing them the tools to become better coaches and fundraisers.

• Walk Day – The actual Walk Day is held about 6 to 8 weeks after the Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon! This is the day we celebrate the hard work that has been done during the Walk season. For months we have been steadily raising funds and spreading awareness about NAMI, so now we get to relax and enjoy entertainment, food and a leisurely walk with family and friends. This is our time to have FUN and reflect on what we’ve accomplished!

• Post-Walk Awards Celebration - Shortly after Walk Day, we like to host our Post-Walk Awards Celebration. At this event we bring sponsors, team captains, key volunteers and walkers who raised over $250 together to thank them for their support and dedication to the event and to NAMI. We also announce the total amount of funds raised though the event and how we plan to use the funding, as well as recognize our sponsors and top fundraising teams and walkers. This event closes the Walk season, but the new Walk season will be starting soon!

I hope this gives you a better understanding of the NAMIWalks program and why we host four events during the Walk season. As you can see, each event has an important purpose and provides the next step in making the Walk a great success! Here’s a picture of a trio performing at a Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon (we like to incorporate FUN into all of our events)!

  

Keeping NAMIWalk Teams Engaged Throughout the Year!

NAMIWalk teams shouldn't get together only once a year to walk in the NAMIWalk; instead they should get together many times during the year! As a group, the team members should host FUN activities and gatherings so team members stay engaged and keep the momentum going. Hosting year-round happenings will help teams to grow and friendships to blossom, so when it comes time to walk in the NAMIWalk, the team will be excited and ready to raise funds and awareness!

Teams can host monthly or bi-monthly gatherings, such as:

Breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner at someone's home or at a restaurant

A night at the movies

Game/movie night at someone’s home

Attend a sporting event

Visit a museum

Take a bus trip to a FUN destination

Host a happy hour

Attend a theatrical performance or concert

Have a picnic or barbeque

Host a poetry night

Take a walk through a park

Take an exercise class

A trip to the beach or lake

The ideas are endless!

Team captains don’t always have to host each event; instead the team members can take turns. Remember, a team that plays together, not only stays together, but also raises more money and awareness together!

Host a Virtual NAMIWalk!

We understand that some of you, our NAMI supporters, don't live close to an actual NAMIWalk and it can be difficult for you to participate in the event. However, we have now made it possible for you to participate!!! We know how important NAMI is to you and your community and how you want to help raise funds to support our crucial programs and services. Now, you can by becoming a NAMIWalk virtual walker and/or team!

To participate as a virtual walker and/or team, find the closest NAMIWalk to you on the NAMIWalks’ website and simply register for that Walk. After you register you can start asking family, friends, colleagues to join your team and/or to support your virtual walk efforts.  

NAMI affiliates can also participate in the virtual walk and raise funds to benefit their programs and services! To get started, an affiliate leader needs to contact the Walk Manager of the closest NAMIWalks franchise holder and register as an affiliate participant. Once registered as an official affiliate participant, the affiliate can create a team page and have its members join the team and create personal walker pages on the NAMIWalks’ website. Official virtual affiliate participants receive 50% of the funds they collect through the program, while the NAMIWalks franchise holder keeps the remaining 50% to cover administrative fees.

Even though you might not be participating in the Walk like a traditional participant, your dedication to the event is just as important! Like actual walkers and team captains, you’re also spreading awareness about NAMI each time you ask a family and friend to virtually walk on your team or to make a contribution toward your Walk efforts. Plus the money you raise will ensure NAMI has the necessary funds to host the crucial programs and services we provide in your local community.

Although the virtual participants might not be attending the actual NAMIWalk that doesn’t mean you and your team members can’t get together and celebrate your hard work of raising funds and spreading awareness. Virtual teams and walkers can decide to meet at a designated park and walk, host a party or a picnic, etc. Think of something FUN for the group to do to celebrate!!!

Don’t let boundaries hold you back from raising awareness and funds for your NAMI, become a virtual walker today!   

  

"Out of the Box" Ways to FUNdraise!

We want you to have FUN while FUNdraising for NAMIWalks! Of course you will want to ask your family, friends and colleagues to support you through traditional methods – face-to-face, over the phone or online social networks, sending letters or emails, etc. However, you can also use out of the box FUNdraising tactics to raise money!  

There are plenty of events and small FUNdraisers you can host prior to the Walk and raise money toward your Walk goal! If you’re a team captain, you can round up the troops and host a larger event! Here are some ideas:

• ·         Host a special brunch and invite friends and family for a small fee.

• ·         Host a movie night party and pick a certain word, maybe WALK, and every time someone says the word they have to put a dollar in a jar. The money collected in the jar will be donated to NAMIWalks.

• ·         Host a special exercise class - Zumba, yoga, kick-boxing, etc. - and the fee charged to take the class will be donated to the NAMIWalk.

• ·         Walkers who are great bakers can hold a raffle for one of their donors to win a cake or a baked good! A walker can decide on an amount, such as $10.00, and every time a friend donates the selected amount to the walker, he/she will give the donor a ticket and enter the person into a raffle. At the end of the Walk season, the walker will pick the winning ticket and prepare a delectable item for the person!

• ·         Host a yard/garage sale and have the proceeds benefit your Walk efforts.

• ·         Host a guest bartending night at a local restaurant or establishment and have the tips from the evening benefit NAMIWalks.

• ·         Host a bake sale or a dessert auction at your office or school.

• ·         Host a car wash at your office or school!

These are just a few out of the box FUNdraising ideas, as well as some great team building projects! Have FUN with your family, friends and NAMIWalk team mates with coming up with other FUN ways to FUNdraise!

Corporate and Small Business Sponsors Make NAMIWalks a Great Success!

All of our NAMIWalks depend on the sponsorships we receive through small businesses and corporations. The support from these entities provide the necessary funding to offset the expenses for executing a Walk, allowing the majority of donations raised by our walkers to go toward our programs and services for individuals living with mental illness and their loved ones.

Sponsorships range from $250 to $15,000 and each one makes a difference to the success of the Walk. We are proud to have so many small businesses and corporations support NAMI’s efforts. Without the support of the business community, we wouldn’t be able to provide a family-friendly event that brings people together to celebrate the hard work they have accomplished in raising funds and awareness during the weeks and months leading up to the day of celebration.

Why would corporations and small businesses want to sponsor a NAMIWalks event? In addition to receiving great benefits like signage at the event and having their name/logo on the back of the official Walk t-shirt, they know their sponsorship is making a difference in their communities. Many companies’ realize that some of their employees and/or their employees’ loved ones are benefiting from the crucial programs NAMI provides, and they want to have those services continue and expand. The business community understands the importance of NAMI and they want to get behind an organization that is assisting Americans across the country to live better lives and end the stigma around mental illness.

Ultimately, corporations and small businesses know the importance of having NAMI in their communities and the hardship it would cause to so many people if NAMI ceased to exist.  If you work for a company or you own a business, please consider sponsoring your local NAMIWalks and know that that support will improve many lives.

Why Do We Walk?

Why do we walk? Why is it important for us to walk? We must keep asking ourselves these questions, because the answers will keep us motivated during the 2013 Walk season.

Some of us walk because we are successfully living in recovery and we want others to have the same opportunity, to live prosperous and happy lives while managing their mental illness. We know the positive impact NAMI’s programs and services have had on our road to recovery and we want others to have the same positive experiences. Some of us walk to support people who have not or may not ever achieve recovery, but push onward and live with persistent mental illness every day.

Some of us walk because we have loved ones who live in recovery and we know how important it is for both them and us to have access to NAMI’s crucial programs and services. We know how we benefited from programs and services like Family-to-Family and NAMI Family Support Groups and we know others can also improve their lives by attending these and NAMI’s other exceptional programs. We know that through our participation in the Walk, these programs will continue to be available for those family members and friends who are dealing with similar situations that we face every day.

We know that if we don’t walk, NAMI won’t have the funds to maintain its current education programs and support groups and continue to explore new and innovative ways to help individuals living with mental illness and their loved ones. We know how important NAMI is in our communities and without the funds and awareness we raise through the Walk, NAMI will be unable to support the thousands of individuals they touch every day, like my loved ones and me. 

 

Although the Walk is a FUN event, it’s also the lifeline to keep NAMI afloat and capable of improving lives and ending the stigma around mental illness. Remember not only why we walk, but why YOU walk.