News You Can Use

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.

NAMI Western Carolina wins Outstanding Affiliate Award!

NAMI North Carolina presented the Outstanding Affiliate of the Year Award to NAMI Western Carolina at the Annual Conference in Raleigh on September 10.  Jim Pitts, president of the board of directors and Christine Smith, executive director, accepted the award on the affiliate’s behalf.  We share this award with NAMI Wake County.

This has been a tremendously successful year for our affiliate and a tribute to the work done by NAMI WC since we began in 1988. This year, we:

  • opened our office in October 2009 and have had more than 800 visitors
  • offer an audio/visual room, a computer room and a lending library
  • had our first NAMIWALKS in ASHEVILLE on May 1, 2010
  • trained five Family Support Facilitators
  • increased the number of Connection support groups to one per week
  • held three Family-to-Family trainings with a fourth now ongoing
  • held two NAMI BASICS classes
  • revived In Our Own Voice
  • have partnered with other Western Carolina mental health non-profits on a variety of programs
  • have held two W.R.A.P. trainings with a third to begin in September
  • improved our website
  • and will host three NAMI teacher trainings (BASICS, Family-to-Family, In Our Own Voice) here in Asheville October 15 – 17, 2010.

We have also grown substantially in the area of outreach to local family members and consumers as well as with mental health providers and educational organizations

Thanks to all of you who helped to make this such an “Outstanding” year by attending our groups and classes, volunteering in the office and at events, joining our affiliate, and by making donations to help us to fulfill our mission. This is YOUR award. We did this together and will continue to  expand and improve in 2011.