For the third consecutive year, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley announced Malik and K Khaliq and family as the presenting sponsor of NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley 2025.
The event, the Quad Cities’ largest mental health advocacy and awareness fundraiser, will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Bend XPO amphitheater and park on East Moline’s riverfront.
NAMIWalks is the primary source of unrestricted funds for NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley’s free, nationally developed education and support groups for individuals living with mental health conditions, their families, and friends.
“We receive tremendous support from the Quad-City business community, as well as individuals, who regularly sponsor NAMIWalks each year,” said Lori Leipold, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley Development Director. “But it’s rare for a family to support NAMIWalks at the level of presenting sponsor – especially for three years running. We are very grateful to the Khaliq family for their generous support of our mission.”
The Khaliq family, of Milan, is a strong proponent of supporting families affected by mental health conditions with free, high-quality local education and support group programs delivered by individuals with lived experience.
Their dedication to NAMI’s mission also is in honor and memory of their son, Matthew. “Matthew died on September 29, 2008, from accidental drowning,” Ms. Khaliq said in the NAMI news release. “He was just 21 years old and had been diagnosed with several mental health conditions. I shortened my name from Karen to K when he died, because I felt a part of me had died with him.”
‘My world stopped’
Ms. Khaliq shared her personal journey with NAMI’s support. “When Matthew died in 2008, my world stopped and the rest of the world kept going. NAMI programs helped us and helped me through my grief. I had a new start with Malik and our young children, but I needed help to begin again. There is still such a stigma with mental illness and people are often isolated – NAMI helped me realize I wasn’t alone.”
The entire Khaliq family actively participates in the sponsorship, with Malik Khaliq making public relations appearances to promote the walk and the family organizing a walk team. “Supporting NAMI is important to us, because NAMI’s programs are a key component of the solution to the mental health crisis in our country,” added Mr. Khaliq. “NAMI programs provide essential education and support tools to help families cope, and they help families connect with others in similar situations so they realize they’re not alone and there is hope,” he added.
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is a 46-year affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. It serves residents of Scott, Clinton, Muscatine, Jackson, and Cedar counties in eastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties in western Illinois.
For more information about NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley, visit www.namigmv.org. To sign up for NAMIWalks or make an online donation, visit here.
