| In This Issue |
| Who We Are |
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's foremost grassroots mental health organization. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious brain disorders that cause mental illness and to improving the lives of their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI is active in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico with over 1100 local chapters across the country. Our mission is one of education, support, self help, advocacy and research.
NAMI Barrington Area is a new NAMI chapter located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We are a dedicated group of people serving Barrington and nearby suburbs hoping to help you or someone you love on the path to recovery from mental illness. Call us at 847-496-1415.
About NAMI Barrington area chapter
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NAMI Illinois to Hold Gala
Windfall donation of dinner and reception at InterContinental O'Hare
Normally NAMI Illinois does not conduct fundraising events, but late last month our Springfield office received a most interesting phone call. A gentleman was engaged to be married and had booked a big wedding reception at a very nice Chicago area hotel. He also put down a substantial and non-refundable deposit for the reception.
But unfortunately the wedding got called off and there he was, stuck with a very nice venue for a very nice event, but no event to hold. So he donated the venue and his non-refundable deposit to NAMI Illinois if we would hold a fundraiser there.
This offer couldn't have come at a better time. NAMI Illinois gets a large part of its annual operating funds from the State of Illinois' Division of Mental Health. The money goes to help pay for our education and consumer and family support programs.
But as everyone knows, the State of Illinois is broke and has been unable to make its scheduled payments to NAMI IL. We have been told that the State may be forced to cancel the rest of its planned funding for NAMI IL. This leaves a major hole in our budget. This man's generous gift to NAMI should go a long way toward allowing us to keep the state organization afloat.
Here are some details about the gala. It will be on Saturday, July 17 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Rosemont, right across from the Rosemont Convention Center. We are booked for a very nice reception with open bar and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 and a dinner at 7:30. The event will feature a silent auction, a reverse auction, a regular auction and many raffles. Instead of one (expensive) keynote speaker, we will have a number of people make shorter remarks. (It is always tough to have a long speech after a big dinner anyway - people tend to nod off!) In any event, July 17 should be a wonderful evening with the proceeds going for a very good cause. We hope you will join us.
Tickets are $150, with part of the proceeds going back to the local affiliates. If you buy your tickets from NAMI BA, we will get 20% of the ticket price. To purchase tickets, just drop us an e-mail at NamiBa@NamiBarringtonArea.org and let us know how many tickets you would like. Be sure to leave us contact information so we know how to get the tickets to you.
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July Events
Saturday,
July 17, 6:30p.m. Join NAMI Illinois for a Gala at the InterContinental Hotel, 5300 N River Road, Rosemont. Evening includes reception, open bar, silent and live auctions. $150 tickets, RSVP by July 7. Call 800-346-4572 or purchase tickets online.
Wednesday, June 30 - Saturday, July 3, NAMI National Convention in Washington D.C. Registration rates are $235 for NAMI members and $135 for consumer members. Discounted hotel rates are also available. You can register and see additional convention rates on the convention registration page. Lots of great info on the website!
Saturday, July 24, 6:00p.m. NAMI Elk Grove-Schaumburg hosts Bowling FUN-raiser for Mental Health. All Consumers and their families are invited to attend this fun social event which includes 3 games of bowling, shoe rental, buffet dinner with soft drinks, and $1.00 raffle tickets to win many prizes. Cost: $39 bowling and dinner, $29 dinner only, $22 bowling and dinner for low-income Consumers. For more information and to RSVP call Gina by July 18 at (630) 302-2530 or email namiegsch@yahoo.com
Sunday, July 25, 9:15a.m. and 11:15a.m. Speaker and author Patrick Corrigan will give sermon at North Shore Unitarian Church in Highland Park. The sermon means to make sense out of stigma of mental illness and to give voice to strategies that seek to beat it. Corrigan is a professor and associate dean for research in the institute of psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology and author of Don't Call Me Nuts.
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Area Support Groups
You may find that a support group can be very helpful, especially if you, a partner, friend or family member is going through a crisis. A very large number of groups meet in our area for consumers as well as family members and friends.
Each month, we publish a list of support groups that you can attend, generally at no charge and with no need to make a reservation. You can access that list in a printable format here.
We would also like to invite you to the groups hosted by our own chapter, NAMI Barrington Area. This month we will offer a NAMI Connections group for consumers and a family support group every Thursday at Northwest Community Hospital at 7 p.m. (call Nora at 847-899- -6264 for more information). We will also hold a family group on Tuesday, July 13 at the Barrington Area Library (call Mary at 847-381-6919 or Trowby at 847-382-6015). |
Family to Family Classes
by Maryrose Peters
Family to Family, one of NAMI's most successful programs, is a free 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe mental illnesses that discusses the clinical treatment of these illnesses and teaches the knowledge and skills that family members need to cope more effectively. It balances basic education and skill training with emotional support, self care and empowerment. To date over 200,000 family members have graduated this class nationwide!
Since these illnesses are so common, it is guaranteed that you may know a family who may need this valuable information, so please help us spread the word! We now take registrations all year long, so give us a call to find out more about this program by calling Maryrose at 847-496-1415. |
Caring for the depressed can be tough
From AOL Health
A look at the anger, guilt and other issues that often affect people who care for those who have serious depression.
"When her 14-year-old daughter sank into a deep depression that brought about an eating disorder and bouts of anxiety, Minnesota mom Becky Henry put her life on hold to care for her child.
She had no idea that the darkness would last for eight years -- or that she eventually would need professional help to cope. '
It was challenging to stay patient, stay calm, not get sucked into the drama,' she says. 'The panic and fear were a huge battle for me. It was so devastating.'"
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Help for mental health services in Illinois may require a call to Congress
Legislative Alert by Hugh BradyPart of President Obama's economic stimulus measures passed last year provided a one-time increase in federal matching funds for Medicaid - a program that has become the main source of funding for providers of mental health services and other medical services for the poor.
Unfortunately that program is expiring, and because of the loss of those additional federal funds Illinois is proposing deep cuts to both Medicaid and non-Medicaid mental health programs.
Fortunately, Congress is considering extending FMAP through 2011. A call or email to your senator and representative can do a lot of good if you do it now - encourage Congress to help the states! Read more.
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Carrie Fisher talks about bipolar disorder
Celebrity News piece interviews Fisher on Leia, Shock Therapy and more
Carrie Fisher knows that when she dies a photo of Princess Leia will in in her tributes -- and she's accepted it. She also knows quite a bit about depression and manic episodes.
This is not a heavy or in-depth look at mental illness - but still quite interesting. Read more.
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On the Mental Health Courts
From the President's Desk by Hugh Brady
There's good news and bad from the recent Mental Health Courts Conference at the College of Dupage.
First the good: mental health courts are expanding across the state and are beginning to do good work The bad: there are not enough resources to meet the need, and relatively few cases have gone through the system.
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NAMI BA Needs a Treasurer
Do you really mean it when you say you want to help people with mental health issues?
If so, we can use your help at NAMI Barrington Area. Sue Kluk, our treasurer since our inception, will resign this fall. We need someone willing to lend a hand - extensive financial skills are not a requirement.
I want to invite you to help us in any way you can to support and advocate for people with brain disorders, and in so doing, help yourself. Are you willing to lend a hand? It's a wonderful experience to be involved and make a difference!
There's so much we can accomplish, but only with more good people like you pitching in. Please call Maryrose at 847-496-1415.
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Attend Our Paired Support Groups
Family and consumer groups Thursdays at Northwest Community
Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights is the location for NAMI BA's ongoing pairing of NAMI a Connections and a Family Support group. The dual program features simultaneous meetings of a NAMI Connections Support group for people with mental illness and a Family Support group.
People are welcome to attend one of the sessions without other family members, but the pairing also allows families to attend support groups at the same time and same location. The consumers go to Connections and their family members can attend the Family Support Group.
The two groups meet every Thursday 7:00 - 8:30 PM at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Height in the second floor meeting rooms of building #7, the mental health unit, in the northwest corner of the hospital campus, 701 Kirchoff Rd. Advance registration in not necessary, people who are interested should just show up.
If you have questions or would like more information about this exciting new program, contact Nora or Frank at 847-258-4636. |
Time to renew NAMI membership
NAMI National rolls out updated renewal process!If you haven't renewed your NAMI membership - please do!
We encourage you to renew via the NAMI website if possible as that will update your records automatically and immediately. When you renew on-line, be sure to name NAMI Barrington Area as your affiliate. If you prefer to use a check and a paper form, membership chair Barb Kreski will be happy to process it. If you have any questions, you may contact her at (847) 506-9607, evenings.
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Local Hospitals
With Mental Health Serivces
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| Community Mental Health Services
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| Please pass on this newsletter
We hope you'll pass this newsletter on to friends, family members or professionals who might get some useful information from it. Even though you don't know if your friend would need this valuable information and support, you never know who may have a co-worker or neighbor who would.
The best way to pass it on is to hit the 'forward email' button at the bottom of this page.
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Join NAMI
We hope you'll join NAMI and support our advocacy for the mentally ill. The cost is only $35 (adult and spouse) or $10 (for consumer). If this cost will create a financial hardship, we have a limited number of open door memberships available at a reduced fee. Please register online if possible or download our paper membership form.
If you don't wish to join right now, but you'd like to receive our free newsletter, simply use the "Join our mailing list" button in the blue column to the right.
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Emergency Numbers
Local police/ambulance: 911
State police: 847-294-4400
Crisis team, Alexian Brothers, Hoffman Estates
(24 hour): 800-432-5005
Illinois state suicide line: 800-784-2433
Ecker Center 24-hour emergency program (Elgin) 847-888-2211
More emergency numbers
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