The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Mississippi Valley will host NAMIWalks on Saturday, Oct, 4. The event starts at 8 a.m. at the Bend XPO amphitheater, 910 Bend Blvd., East Moline, and the walk kicks off at 9:30 a.m.
The Quad Cities NAMIWalks is now in its 22nd year. It is designed to remind Americans that 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 due to a lack of accessible, affordable mental health care.
“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,” NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley Development Director Lori Leipold said in a news release. “Our friends, family and neighbors can afford nothing less than mental health for all. NAMIWalks are a force because we have to be.”
NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley is the organization’s largest annual fundraising event. It’s also the Quad Cities’ biggest mental health advocacy and awareness event, NAMI said.
More information can be found at www.namigmv.org. NAMIWalks sign-up and online walk donations can be made at www.namiwalks.org/greatermississippivalley.
It is expected to attract hundreds of residents across the region to celebrate mental health recovery, to let community members know they are not alone and to honor the memory of loved ones lost to suicide.
How to participate
NAMIWalks is a joyful event. It features live music, kids, therapy dogs, sponsor representatives and inspirational remarks. That all leads up to the 9:30 a.m walk. To join the fun, visit namiwalks.org/greatermississippivalley.
There is no registration fee, but fundraising is encouraged. Participants raising at least $100 receive an event t-shirt.
One hundred percent of funds raised stay local. They supportg NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley’s free mental health programs, resources and services to people in the Quad-Cities region.
For the third year in a row the Malik and K Khaliq and family, of Milan, Illinois, is the event’s presenting sponsor. Other major sponsors this year are: KWQC-TV, Media; Advance Homes, Inc., Gold; UnityPoint Health – Robert Young Center, Gold; and UnityPoint Health – Trinity, Gold.
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is a 46-year affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It’s 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.
