NAMIWalks aim to stomp out mental illness stigma

BOSTON – Thousands of individuals living with mental illness along with family, friends and advocates from across the state will gather Saturday, May 10 for the 11th annual NAMIWalks Massachusetts fundraiser at Artesani Park in Boston (1255 Soldiers Field Road, across from Days Inn). Check-in is at 9 a.m., the program begins at 10:15 a.m. and the walk starts at 11 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome.The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts (NAMI Mass) is a nonprofit grassroots education, support and advocacy organization. Founded in 1982, NAMI Mass is the state’s voice on mental illness with 20 local chapters and more than 2,000 members. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for people with mental illnesses and their families by educating the public; fighting stigma, discrimination and stereotypes; and promoting recovery. The NAMIWalks Massachusetts fundraiser is crucial to the organization’s mission as it accounts for half of the annual budget revenue.The walk is a stigma-free zone, a celebration of hope, dignity and recovery, says NAMI Mass Executive Director Laurie Martinelli. “It’s essential to funding our programs and services, which help people find and access the support and treatment they need, and crucial to putting an end to stigma and the needless tragedies it can breed. Recovery is real, and people with mental illness can and do lead fruitful and productive lives, but only if they can access treatment without shame or fear.”One of the ways the walk aims to stamp out stigma is by communicating stories of hope from individuals with lived experience and family members like Eliza T. Williamson and Sheila Girard. For more than 20 years, Williamson has faced the demons of her mental illness. She’s come out the other side able to say, “I have this great life now that I never thought was possible.”Girard felt heartbroken, scared and alone when her son was diagnosed with a mental illness. Today, while her heart still aches for her son, she is no longer broken, frightened or alone. She credits NAMI Mass with making the difference.Since 2004, NAMI Mass has raised more than $3.6 million through its annual walk and has funneled that money directly into programs and services statewide. Walkers come from Worcester County to Cape Ann to Cape Cod and everywhere in between. In 2013 alone, more than 5,000 individuals participated and together with the event sponsors raised nearly $560,000, making it the most successful NAMIWalks fundraiser in the country for the fourth year in a row and the second consecutive year above the half-million-dollar mark. 2014 marks the 11th annual walk, and NAMI Mass aims to raise $600,000.Each year, nearly 60 million Americans experience a mental health disorder. One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. And 1 in 10 children and adolescents in the U.S. suffers from serious emotional and mental disorders that cause significant functional impairment in their day-to-day lives.For more information, visit www.namiwalks.org/massachusetts.