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Annual meeting November 21 |
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If you're a member or friend of the Barrington
Area NAMI Chapter, please set aside Tuesday,
November 21 for our first annual meeting. This
is the meeting that will give us our legal
foundation, so we do need you to come and vote
on our bylaws and ratify our board. It's also a
time to bring your ideas on what you'd like to
see the new chapter accomplish – and, as
importantly, see old friends and meet new
friends in our advocacy for the mentally ill.
Location: the Barrington Area Library, 505 N
Northwest Hwy, (large meeting room on the first
floor). Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
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November classes & events |
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Every Friday in November. NAMI Elk Grove
Chapter’s C.A.R.E. consumer support group
meets at 7 p.m. For anyone with a mental illness
and their families (18 and older). Alexian
Brothers Behavioral Hospital,1650 Moon Lake Blvd
Hoffman Estates. For information, call Carol at
847-352-6708 or Ruth at 630-497-9737. Monday,
November 6.
NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support
group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the
Barrington Area Library, Meeting Room B - second
door on the left after entering library (no
charge, no reservation). Call Mary at
847-381-6919 for details.
Thursday, November 9. The NAMI Elk
Grove Chapter family support group and
the Elk Grove parents of children under
18 support group each meet (separately)
at 6:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001
Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. For information on the
family group, call Sue at 630-529-3037. For
information on the parents group call Chris at
847-687-6623 or Dawn at 847-718-9855
Wednesday, November 15. NAMI
Northwest Suburban/Arlington Heights Chapter
family support group meets the third
Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. Alexian
Brothers, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114,
Arlington Heights (no reservation, no charge).
Call Star at 847-899-0195 if questions.
Thursday, November 16. NAMI McHenry
County Chapter family support group
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
at the McHenry County Mental Health Board
Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal Lake. Call
815-444-9991 for information.
Tuesday, November 21,
Barrington Area Chapter annual meeting,
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. We will vote on bylaws, elect
our board, and discuss our future – bringing the
chapter into existence legally. It's also a time
to catch up with or meet other members.
Location: the Barrington Area Library (large
meeting room on the first floor). No charge, no
reservation.
Wednesday, November 29. NAMI
Northwest Suburban Chapter potluck dinner,
starting at 6:30 p.m. Alexian Brothers, 3350
Salt Creek Lane, Arlington Heights. Come out and
mingle with the chapter! Call Star at
847-899-0195 for details.
NAMI McHenry County's Latino Outreach
will meet in November. Call 815- 444-9991 for
details.
NAMI McHenry County asks area dentists to
donate teeth cleaning to group home residents.
Read more.
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December classes & events |
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Every Friday in December, NAMI Elk Grove
Chapter’s C.A.R.E. consumer support group
meets at 7 p.m. For anyone with a mental illness
and their families (18 and older). Alexian
Brothers Behavioral Hospital,1650 Moon Lake Blvd
Hoffman Estates. For information, call Carol at
847-352-6708 or Ruth at 630-497-9737. Tuesday,
December 12,
NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support
group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the
Barrington Area Library. (No charge, no
reservation needed.) Call Mary at 847-381-6919
with any questions.
Thursday, December 14. The NAMI Elk
Grove Chapter family support group and
the Elk Grove parents of children under
18 support group each meet (separately)
at 6:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001
Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. Join us this month for
our holiday parties! For information on the
family group, call Sue at 630-529-3037. For
information on the parents group call Chris at
847-687-6623 or Dawn at 847-718-9855
Wednesday, December 20. NAMI
Northwest Suburban Chapter family support group
meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Alexian Brothers, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite
114, Arlington Heights (no reservation, no
charge). Call Star at 847-899-0195 for details.
Thursday, December 21. NAMI McHenry
County Chapter family support group
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
at the McHenry County Mental Health Board
Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal Lake. Call
815-444-9991 for information.
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Family-to-Family Education Program |
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We invite you to attend a series of 12 weekly
classes structured to help you understand and
support individuals with mental disorders while
maintaining your own well being.
These NAMI classes are for family members,
partners, and friends of individuals with
serious mental illness. "This course is a
wonderful experience," said one student. "It
balances basic education and skill-training with
emotional support, self care and empowerment."
There is no cost to participate, but
registration is necessary as class size is
limited.
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Visions for Tomorrow Education Program |
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NAMI Barrington Area will soon offer another
session of the Visions for Tomorrow Education
Program. This 11-week course provides basic
information for parents and other caretakers of
school age children with a wide range of brain
disorders. You’ll also have a chance to share
mutual experiences and learn valuable lessons
from one another.
There is no charge for the course, but please
call now as space is limited.
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Peer to Peer Education Program |
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Change of plans: our first NAMI “PEER-to- PEER”
Education Course, “Learning to Live Well with
What We’ve Got,” will begin after the first of
the year. Call Fred Nelson at 847-304- 4212
to: a) discuss the program and your needs and
b) to signup to be considered for this first 9
week class. We will be finalizing the meeting
dates and locations (i.e. private rooms in
public libraries) soon. The NAMI
“PEER-to-PEER” (P2P) Course is taught by teams
of 3 trained “mentors” or peer-teachers who are
themselves experienced at living well with
mental illness.
Who can take the course? The course is
designed to offer an opportunity for growth to
any individual who experiences mental illness.
Call Fred at 847-304-4212 for a confidential,
one-on-one discussion of your needs and the
program’s potential value for you and your
well-being.
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Grace Notes - Handling the joy and stress of the
holidays |
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I have just returned from a spectacular vacation
touring Yellowstone Park, the Grand Tetons and
the Grand Canyon. I am awestruck by the
magnificence of these places and their openness,
peace, and serenity in our world of pressure and
stress.
Speaking of stress, we need to remember that
the holidays can be particularly difficult for
our loved ones because of their various
abilities to interact with other family members
and friends. My column this month offers
suggestions for getting through these times in a
happier and more fulfilling way. Suggestions
include:
• Involve your loved one in the holiday
planning and encourage them to decide how they
want to participate • don't surprise them with a
big family gathering • allow them to take time
outs from activities when they need to • be
careful what foods and beverages you offer •
don't take their symptoms personally • share fun
and laughter • be sure to take some time for
yourself.
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Consumer corner |
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Legislative update - Tuesday's election |
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By Hugh Brady I recently attended a
legislative candidates forum and heard several
candidates for the state legislature from the
northwest suburbs. Each gave an opening
statement, which was followed by a question and
answer session. One audience member asked each
panel of candidates about Illinois’ deplorable
mental health care system.
All the candidates spoke in favor of
improving mental health care in Illinois, but
some showed a lack of familiarity with mental
health issues, or no real sense of how to pay
for improvements. We need to keep our
legislators’ feet to the fire regarding Illinois
broken mental health care system, so I’m
including a more detailed article on the NAMI
Barrington Area website outlining each of the
following candidates’ views and background.
In the 33rd State Senate district (Des
Plaines, Park Ridge and Mt. Prospect) Cheryl
Axley (R) and Dan Kotowski (D) spoke.
In Senate District 27, (Arlington Heights,
north of 14, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, western
Wheeling, Inverness and Barrington) Peter
Gutzmer (D) and Matt Murphy (R) gave their
ideas.
In House District 53, (Buffalo Grove, western
Wheeling and Arlington Heights, north of 14),
Michael MacDonald (D) is challenging incumbent
Sidney Mathias (R).
Suzie Bassi (R) and Jeff Ketelsen (D) are
from House District 54 (Palatine, Inverness,
eastern Barrington and northern Hoffman Estates)
and I’m summarizing their views in the longer
article.
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Please pass on this newsletter |
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We'd like to ask you to pass this newsletter on
to friends, family members or professionals who
might be interested or get some useful
information from it. Even though you don't know
if your friend would need this information, you
never know who may know someone else, whether it
be a co-worker or neighbor who might benefit
from this valuable information and support.
The best way to pass it on is
to hit the 'forward email' button at the
bottom. You can write a note when you forward
it, and you may also ask your friend to pass it
on to others for the same reason. You may
mention that if he or she enjoys it, to be sure
to hit the 'join our mailing list' button in the
right-hand column.
There's no need to worry if
your friend or other contact lives in the area,
as NAMI is a national organization with chapters
throughout the United States. It's a free
newsletter. You don't have to be a member to
receive it. No one will call, email or otherwise
bother new subscribers.
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Join NAMI |
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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.
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 gray column to the right, call or send us an
email (see below).
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Visit our website |
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Emergency numbers |
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Local police/ambulance: 911
State police: 847-294-4400
Crisis team, Alexian Brothers, Hoffman Estates
(24 hour): 847-755-8140
Illinois state suicide hotline: 800-784-2433
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Who we are
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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 hoping to help
you or someone you love on the path to recovery
from mental illness.
NAMI Barrington area chapter formed
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