Happy Holidays!

Thank you very much for supporting NAMIWalks this year! We hope you have a HAPPY & SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON with Your Family and Friends! Enjoy!

 

The 2015 Spring National Walk Manager Training was a Success!

This past weekend (Nov. 7th - Nov. 9th) the National NAMIWalks Team hosted the 2015 Spring Walk Manager Training (WMT) for all the spring Walk Managers around the country. The Training, held in Las Vegas, was a wonderful event! We had three full days of sessions on how to successfully manage a NAMIWalk -- from raising funds to promoting the event to engaging participants! After completing the intense training, the Walk Managers were excited and ready to go home and start working on their upcoming events! We heard from many of our veteran Walk Managers that it was the best WMT they have ever attended!

Spring Walk Managers dressed in shirts that represented the location of their NAMIWalks.

We were very fortunate to have Hakeem Rahim as our keynote speaker. Mr. Rahim, became an advocate for issues around mental illness in 2012. Since then he has testified in front of Congress, been featured in USA Today and has shared his journey with over 7,000 students. He is a certified NAMI In Our Own Voice speaker and NAMI Queens/Nassau Let's Talk Mental Illness presenter. In addition, he is also a member of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance's National Board.

Mr. Rahim spoke of his experiences and the importance of engaging the community to get involved with NAMIWalks, NAMI and mental health advocacy. His remarks inspired everyone in attendance!

Hakeem Rahim addressing the Walk Managers.

Hakeem Rahim showing his support of NAMIWalks!

Pictures of Fall 2014 NAMIWalks

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some photos from Fall 2014 NAMIWalks!

NAMIWalks Northern Virginia 

NAMIWalks Northern Virginia 

NAMIWalks New Hampshire 

NAMIWalks New Hampshire

NAMIWalks Los Angeles County

NAMIWalks Los Angeles County

NAMIWalks Butler County

NAMIWalks Butler County

NAMIWalks Moultrie

NAMIWalks Moultrie

NAMIWalks Waukesha

NAMIWalks Waukesha

NAMIWalks Hawaii

NAMIWalks Hawaii

NAMIWalks Hawaii

Enjoy Our NEW Walk Coaching Videos!

We have recently filmed new coaching videos to help you, Team Captains and walkers, learn new ways to raise funds and build awareness through your NAMIWalks efforts. The videos are short, but they are full of great information on a variety of topics! Take some time to watch them and let us know what you think! Click Here to view the videos!

Happy Labor Day!

The National NAMIWalks Team wishes you a safe and happy Labor Day! We hope you enjoy time with your loved ones over the holiday weekend!

Putting FUN in FUNdraising!

As a Team Captain and/or walker have you thought about FUN ways to build Teams and/or to raise funds this year? Of course you can ask someone to join your Team and/or donate to you the traditional ways – face-to-face, email, over the phone, online social networks. However, have you thought about using your talents for out of the box ways to engage people?

Here are some FUN ideas that you can do as an individual walker or as a Walk Team:

• Rock On! If you know musicians, ask them to perform a benefit concert at a backyard BBQ, block party, or local club. The admission ticket is a check made payable to NAMIWalks.

• Birthday: In lieu of a gift for your birthday, ask your friends and family to make a donation to NAMIWalks through your personal NAMIWalks website.

• Gym: Ask your gym if you, or they, can teach an aerobics, yoga, or spinning class as a benefit to NAMIWalks.

• House Party: Host a house party for friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Share your experience with NAMIWalks and your reasons for walking. Ask them to join your Team.

• Make holiday ornaments: Make special ornaments and sell them for donations.

• Mow-a-thon: Hold a neighborhood mow-a-thon weekend where you and your family will mow everyone’s lawn for a minimum donation.

• Runner: Offer to be a friend’s errand runner or personal assistant for a day, in exchange for a substantial donation.

• Garden Tour: Hold a garden tour at your home or at a local historical home.

Building Teams and raising funds should be an exciting experience! Now that you've read these ideas, I hope you will use one or think of something creative and inventive that you and/or your Team will do!!!

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!!!