NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley will hold its largest annual fundraiser and the Quad Cities’ biggest mental health advocacy and awareness event – NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley – at 8 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Bend XPO amphitheater.
This year’s event at 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline, is the 21st annual NAMIWalks in the Quad Cities. NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley is expected to attract hundreds of residents across the Quad-Cities region. It will celebrate mental health recovery, let community members know they are not alone, and honor the memory of loved ones lost to suicide.
Pre-walk activities (sponsor booths, live music, speeches, dog zone and kid zone) will run from 8 – 9:30 a.m.. with the walk starting at 9:30 a.m.
One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder annually. Yet less than half of them receive treatment. As the American public increasingly understands the critical nature of accessible, affordable mental health care, so do the demands on NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, known locally as NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley.
“This is a new, uncharted time for mental health care. We must recognize the significant impact that current events and societal issues are placing on our mental wellness,” the local group’s Executive Director Angela Gallagher said in a news release. “Our friends, family and neighbors can afford nothing less than mental health for all. NAMIWalks is a force because we have to be.”
How to join NAMIWalks
To join NAMIWalks, visit namiwalks.org/greatermississippivalley. There is no registration fee, but fundraising is encouraged. Participants raising at least $100 receive an event T-shirt. All the funds raised stay local. They support NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley’s free mental health programs, resources and services. More information can be found at www.namigmv.org.
Major sponsors for this year’s walk include: Malik & K Khaliq and Family (Presenting); KWQC-TV (Media); Advance Homes, Inc. (Gold); Lundbeck (Gold); Sears Seating (Gold); SSAB (Gold); UnityPoint Health – Robert Young Center (Gold); and UnityPoint Health – Trinity (Gold).
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is a 45-year affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley serves residents of Scott, Clinton, Muscatine, Jackson and Cedar counties in eastern Iowa and Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties in western Illinois.
