A one-hour class teaching basic meditation and relaxation/breathing techniques will begin on Monday, February 8. The class, which will be taught by Celeste Dunn, will meet from 1:30 - 2:30 pm. It will run every other Monday for six weeks. Class dates are Mondays - Feb. 8, Feb. 22, March 8, March 22, April 12 and April 19. Please call our office at 505-7353 for more information. Note: There is no physical activity involved with this class.
Across North Carolina NAMI members and affiliates are mobilizing for NAMI Walks 2010. On May 1, in the state capital, Raleigh, on the beautiful campus of Dorothea Dix, we will walk a brief 2.3 miles to publicly demonstrate our strong support for the central importance of mental health in the well being of all persons and families. It’s our 6th annual public demonstration that NAMI challenges and educates to undo stigma that limits compassion and appropriate health treatment. NAMI Walks is our only statewide fundraiser. Money raised by our Walk pays for our education programs like Family-to-Family, NAMI Basics, and our ongoing work to influence state legislation and policy. NAMI helps to shape guidelines for certifying peer support specialists. We advocate for recovery programs and disability housing. If you want more effective consumer voice, empowerment, and family education be sure to support NAMI Walks 2010. To support our WALK team which is called BUNCOMBE AIR, please send your donation to NAMI-WC Walks, P.O. Box 8046, Asheville, NC 28814 – or call our office at 828-505-7353 for more information.
NAMI BASICS is the class for YOU! Classes (6 sessions in all) will be
held on Tuesday & Thursday evenings March 2-18. Call instructors: Donna
(828) 684-5477 or Jeannie (828) 664-1146 to enroll or ask questions.
For a course description, go to the Education page listed above.
Click here to view the video of Kris Parks presentation at the NAMI Western Carolina meeting January 19. She is making presentations for a combined effort of Disability Rights North Carolina and fellow advocacy organizations concerning proposed legislation that would exempt those with a severe mental disability from the death penalty. With support from a generous grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, DRNC is working both to educate our citizens about the reasons it is fair and just to exclude such persons from capital punishment and in so doing, to raise awareness about mental illness.
For more information about this initiative and to contact Kris to speak to your group or organization, click here.
Thanks to a donation from Charlotte Street Computers we now have a computer with Internet connection for the use of consumers and family members who wish to check email or do research on volunteer jobs, paying jobs or topics related to mental health. Please call 505-7353 to reserve the computer. Time will be limited to one hour.
Our video room has also opened. We have videos on mental health as well as the film “Canvas”. To reserve a time or if you have any appropriate videos that you would like to donate, please call our office.
A checkout library is also available for NAMI members. Please contact us if you would care to donate books or to make a donation specifically to purchase books for the library.
The 12-week NAMI Family-to-Family course helps caregivers understand and support people with serious mental illness while maintaining their own well-being. Topics include facts about these brain disorders, medications, communication techniques, problem-solving, stress reduction, community services and advocacy. Trained volunteers teach Family-to-Family.
All materials are provided free for families & friends of individuals with: Clinical Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline PersonalityDisorder and Co-occurring Disorders. Class begins in ASHEVILLE on Monday, February 22 and runs through May 17. Class time is 6 pm - 830 pm.
Pre-registration is required. Class size is limited. Please call 828-707-2937 or email: bkinschner@aol.com
We extend our deep sympathy to the family of Betty Lane, wife of Daniel “Dan” Lane, Jr., who died December 2. Betty and Dan were married for 54 years. They were instrumental in establishing NAMI-NC and NAMI-WC and for decades worked diligently to carry out NAMI’s mission of education, advocacy and support.
Greeting new attendees at NAMI meetings was a role Betty thoroughly enjoyed. Betty felt she was here on earth to help people, and loved talking to people and sharing ideas. She was a strong advocate dedicated to improving treatment and housing for consumers. A retired teacher, she was a peace advocate, loved drama, travel and music.
The memorial service was held December 5 at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville where Betty had been an active member. The family requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to NAMI-Western Carolina, P.O. Box 8046, Asheville, NC 28814 or Waynesville First United Methodist Choir Fund, P.O. Box 838, Waynesville, NC 28786. An online memorial register is available at “Obituaries” at www.wellsfuneralhome.com or condolences may be sent to Dan Lane, 88 Polk Street, Waynesville, NC 28786.
As our holiday party was cancelled due to the severe weather, if you would like to contribute gifts to those at Broughton Hospital, you may bring them to the our office at 356 Biltmore Avenue, Suite 298. We will deliver them personally. Good gifts are sweatshirts and pants (L, XL,XXL), socks, slippers, stationery, stamps, toiletries, blank journals, pens, whatever you think that someone would enjoy!
We are so sorry not to have seen all of you, our NAMI friends and supporters, at this special time of year. We at NAMI-WNC hope to meet more of you, have you attend our talks, support groups, and come to visit and perhaps volunteer at our office. We are at a difficult period here in North Carolina - so many services have been cut and we at NAMI are doing the best that we can to fill in those gaps left by state budget cutbacks. To do this, our expenses for brochures, Family-to-Family and NAMI BASICS materials, our office, and community outreach have increased. Any help, whether a monetary donation or the gift of your time is greatly appreciated.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On Thursday, October 8, 2009, mental health history was made in western North Carolina at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC. The Veterans Administration has given permission for Veterans and NAMI Connection Facilitators Charles Wooten and Ray Carter to offer group support for Veterans at the local VA facility. This NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is held from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm in the Multipurpose Room.
This is the first time an outside organization has been allowed to offer support groups at the VA hospital. Through the efforts of Dr. Carol Rivers, Chief of Mental Health Services, and Dr. Elizabeth Huddleston, Local Recovery Coordinator, at the Charles George VA Medical Center, and the Veterans Consumer Council on Mental Health chaired by NAMI member Ray Carter, permission was granted for this group support for the next 12 months. Since October 4-10 was Mental Health Awareness Week, the facilitators thought this would be a perfect time to begin this collaboration with the VA and this service to our area Veterans with mental health issues.
If you are a Veteran with a diagnosis and wish more information on this new program, please contact Ray Carter at raycarter2001@yahoo.com