The board of NAMI Western Carolina has decided that rather than holding a WALK at the same time as the NAMIWalks in Raleigh to be held on May 5 at Dorothea Dix Hospital, that we will hold a separate WALK or other fundraising event in the fall.There are several reasons for breaking with this two-year tradition. The main one is that there are so many other events being held in Asheville on that day that it is difficult to get a good location. Competition with other organizations who also hold their fundraisers on that day means that the number of people able to attend ours is lower. In 2011, for example, there were five other events being held at the same time as ours at Carrier Park.

Work is now being done to secure a location and to decide on the focus of our fundraiser. A circus/carnival theme has been suggested with a WALK and consumer art exhibit as a part of that. It has been pointed out, however, that a circus theme could be difficult to pull off because of a shortage of elephants in the Asheville/Buncombe area! Well, that will be part of the discussion! We do know that there are many talented artists here and we would like to give them a spotlight to show their work. If you have any ideas for a fundraising event, please let us know! We want your input!

Some of you may be receiving invitations to attend the WALK in Raleigh, and there is no date conflict with our event.

On January 16 at 6 pm, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County, Inc. will hold a Candlelight Ceremony at Nazareth First Baptist Church, 146 Pine Street at Martin Luther King Boulevard in Asheville.

This will be an annual recognition of individuals who exemplify the spirit of Dr. King by giving unselfishly of themselves for the betterment of the community and others. Dr. Jim Pitts, former president of NAMI North Carolina and NAMI Western Carolina, Family to Family teacher and current ex officio on our WC board of directors,  has been nominated to receive an award.

Please join the community in this celebration. For more information, please call Karen Cowan at 828-768-8599 or Oralene Simmons at 828-281-1624.

The nationally recognized NAMI Peer to Peer course will be offered in Franklin beginning Tuesday, March 13, 7-9p.m. This is a 10 week course designed for adults living with mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD and others. It is taught by trained NAMI peer mentors in a relaxed, confidential setting. There is no charge but pre-registration is required. Class size is limited. For more information and to register contact Cindy (828) 524-0468 or Hank (828) 369-3490.

UPCOMING TRAININGS

February 11, 2012 – Parents and Teachers as Allies – Raleigh NC

March 23-25, 2012 – Family-to-Family Teacher Training – *Eastern NC
NAMI Basics Teacher Training

April 13-15, 2012 – Peer-to-Peer Mentor Training – *Eastern NC
Support Group Facilitator Training

* These training sites can change if a large amount of interest is from a different part of the state

EVENTS/CLASSES

* Weekly talks to consumers at Neil Dobbins Crisis Stabilization Unit and Detox Facility

* Monthly talks to consumers at the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

*  To submit a poem or short story for publication on our website, please click on the Express Yourself! page at the top of this page for submission requirements. We want to hear from you!

SUPPORT GROUPS

* Please go to the Support Group page for a complete schedule of support groups and meetings.

Emergency numbers:

North Carolina Voice on Mental Illness Helpline – 1-800-451-9682 Monday – Friday 830 am – 5 pm. After hours email: mail@naminc.org.

Suicide Helpline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) – 24 hours/7 days

Western Highlands Network Access Line – 828-225-2800 Monday – Friday 8 am – 5 pm.  After hours: 1-800-951-3792. Western Highland is the Local Management Entity which manages mental health, substance abuse, and intellectual/developmental disabilities services in Buncombe, Yancey, Henderson, Translyvania, Rutherford, Polk, Mitchell and Madison counties in western North Carolina.

Thank you to the candidates for Asheville City Council who met with us on Saturday, October 29 at the YWCA Asheville for questions and answers. Attending were Lael Gray, Mark Cates, Jan Davis, Chris Pelly, Saul Chase and Marc Hunt. We appreciate their time in a busy election season.

Thank you, too, to Nina Accardo who suggested that NAMI pursue this meeting. She worked very hard to find a location for the event and a date that would work for the six candidates.

This is a direct form of advocacy that is very important to those in the mental health arena. We were fortunate to be able to speak openly about ourselves and our loved ones with mental illness and the difficulties face-to-face with those involved with Asheville city government. Topics covered were use of the detention center for those with mental illness, and the issues of housing, homelessness and hunger.

This was a great way to advocate in person rather than by phone, email or letters.

On October 25, 2011 a very special event will take place here in Asheville. We invite you to join us.

Tracey Turner, NAMI Western Carolina board member, will present THE EMOTION PROJECT. Here is Tracey’s own description of the Project:

“It is a powerful, dimensional presentation, often causing tears and, almost always, causing the audience to reflect on their own emotions and circumstances in their lives.

I give a talk about my history with alcoholism and mental illness, how the two intertwine and how they have impacted success and dire failure in my life. I then move on to individual stuffed and embellished bears which represent a specific emotion, expressed entirely as mine but leaving and encouraging room for the audience’s interpretation of their reflected emotions. The bears are not teddy bears but rage, joy, grief, self love and other emotions. There are 32 bears in the Project. In the end, it is a story of more success than failure. Maintained mental health versus untreated mental illness. It is a story of recovery.”

Tracey has presented at NAMI North Carolina, the National Crisis Intervention Training Conference (CIT), local colleges and at various NAMI affiliates.

Comments:

“Not only do I identify with my son’s emotions and have a more intense understanding, I discovered some of my emotions. Your presentation is dynamic!”  – NAMI member and parent of a child with mental illness

“I consider The Emotion Project to be one of the most powerful presentations on any subject I’ve ever attended. In fact, I was so impressed that, in my capacity as director of communications at A-B Tech, I arranged for her to present it at our college. Like Tracey’s, my connection to mental illness is a long-standing and personal one. In 1986, my brother, then 22, committed suicide after suffering from schizophrenia for six years. Those six years were among the most traumatic of my life, and although it makes me ashamed to admit, among the times when I have shown the least understanding to another human being. How I could have benefited from the insight I gained through Tracey’s presentation!”  Mona Cornwell

Please join us on Tuesday, October 25 , 6 – 7 pm at the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s (MAHEC) new facility at 121 Hendersonville Road behind the Doubletree Hotel and TGIF’s. Requested donation: $10. A light buffet will follow. For more details, call 828-505-7353, email namiwnc@yahoo.com or go to The Emotion Project website at www.theemotionproject.org.

Holiday Potluck Party – Tuesday, December 20 – Volunteers are needed to help set up the party at 4:30 pm  and to clean up after (about 8 pm). We have a good crew to work with so the “work” is actually “fun”. Where? St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Merrimon Avenue near Chestnut Street, Asheville. Contact Judy at: judidehavi@msn.com or Paulette at:  heck4247@yahoo.com for more details.

NAMI Western Carolina has a new email address! Please send all future emails to namiwnc@yahoo.com. Our previous address cijp1860@yahoo.com is being returned to Christine Smith for her personal use. Please add namiwnc@yahoo.com to your address book to keep important NAMI information from going to your SPAM folder. We will continue to check both addresses until we feel the transition has been made. Thank you!

You  can follow the link to the right or use our address: http://www.facebook.com/NAMIWesternCarolina

Come for a visit and tell us what you think about mental health issues in our area!

Thank you to all of our members and friends who participated in our 2nd annual NAMIWalks in ASHEVILLE: Western Regional Walk! More than 140 walkers from around Western North Carolina enjoyed a beautiful day at Carrier Park! In addition to the Asheville Stargazers of the NAMI Western Carolina affiliate, we had walkers from NAMI Hendersonville/6th Avenue Clubhouse, NAMI Appalachian South in Franklin, NAMI High Country in Boone, and NAMI Rutherford-Cleveland.  Other teams included the Family Preservations Services CREW, the Asheville Kickers, CooperRiis, Strategic Innovations Grateful Gang, and Western Highlands Network.

Special guests were David Bullins, president of NAMI North Carolina visiting from Cabarrus County, and Ted Thomas, NAMI NC board member from NAMI Forsyth. Both were pleased to see the enthusiastic turnout here in Western Carolina! Also present were Bill Kinschner, president of the NAMI WC board of directors, and Jim Pitts, past president of NAMI North Carolina and NAMI Western Carolina. Susan Reinhardt, writer and columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times and Verve Magazine, gave an inspirational (and funny!) kickoff talk to our walkers!

Thank you to our 2011 Sponsors: Mission Hospital, CooperRiis, One Mind Mental Illness Ministry, Ingles, Charlotte Street Computers, Best Friends Pet Cemetary and Crematory, Tender Loving Care and Arboc Mobility.

And a big THANK YOU to our Asheville community!  To our local contributors and in-kind donors: Amazing Savings, Asheville Tourists, Corn Husk Shoppe, cijp, Pomodoro’s, Molly Black, Frankie Bones, Laurey’s Catering, Mercury Creative Group, RiverLink, Studio Chavarria, Hickory Tavern, Moondoggie’s Natural Pet Foods, Mosaic Cafe, Home Free Bagels, Asheville Tea & Spice Exchange, Judy De Havilland, Sparkling Clean, Staples, P.F. Chang’s, Susan Reinhardt, and One Mind Mental Illness Ministry. These contributors made our silent auction and raffle a big hit!

Next year’s Walk will be even bigger and better! Plan to join us in speaking out (and showing up!) to educate the community about mental illness and to BEAT THE STIGMA!