By Anya McCann
National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Yolo is a vital organization in Davis. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults have a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. A sobering one in 17 live with a serious mental illness. (National Institute of Mental Health) That means everyone has a friend or family member who needs support. It also means that those providing support need information and often a support system of their own.
NAMI Yolo provides education, support groups, advocacy, and resources to assist people living with mental illness and those who care about them. This nonprofit has served Davis, Woodland, and West Sacramento for over 20 years and is an all-volunteer organization offering programs with no charge to participants. In 2016 over 4,000 volunteer hours were logged. NAMI Yolo depends on the financial support of members and the community and needs to raise at least $50,000. This year the organization has hired its first part-time staff member.
Nearly 500 individuals have taken Family to Family (F2F), a NAMI Signature class for which local volunteer teachers are trained by the national organization. Typical comments about what was gained from the class include, “I am responsible for my feelings and not responsible for my daughter’s brain disease; I need to care for myself so I can better support her.” “The communication is key into getting the trust of your loved one who is ill.” One mother responded that her “Aha!” experience was “when I began listening to my son, rather than having a conversation”. One father expressed thanks, “Now I feel armed with information to have a more productive discussion with my daughter’s psychiatrist!”
Since the launch of F2F, NAMI Yolo has added three other NAMI Signature education programs – Peer to Peer, Basics, and Basics for Professionals. The group also offers two NAMI Signature support programs – Family Support Groups and Connection and their awareness program called In Our Own Voice. All of these programs are offered at no charge to the participants.
NAMI members continue to advocate for needed services, carry out stigma busting activities and raise awareness in the community. For ten years, an annual Sunflower Art Show and Contest was held to help reduce the myths and prejudices that often surround mental illness and delay treatment.
All of these activities have been accomplished by dedicated volunteers who teach classes, facilitate groups, plan and hold events, serve on boards, attend meetings, write letters and raise money. Some of the early teachers of NAMI Yolo’s course offerings include June Forbes, the current president of the Board of Directors, Lisa Warner, and Deanne Buchan, who coordinated and taught 22 F2F classes over 13 years.
The seeds for the incorporation of NAMI Yolo took root in the mid-1970s. Led by Pat Williams and a group of family members and friends with loved ones who had been struck down by mental illness early in life, bonded together and organized themselves. They supported each other as they advocated for and created a network of services and support systems for the mentally ill in Yolo County.
This year, the Pat Williams Dinner program, Tones of Healing, honors the contributions of all of the many volunteers and community members who support the work of NAMI Yolo.
Laura Sandage, a Davis musician and writer, will lead a group of volunteers in a presentation weaving music, poetry and readings that honor the courage, resilience and tenacity of those who live with mental illness and the family, friends and community members who support them. Laura has lived with depression and lost a family member to suicide.
She is joined by members of the Free Range Singers, a welcoming community choir that she directs at the UU Church of Davis. The group sings varied, accessible music in a fun, social setting, and performs at fundraisers as a service to the community.
Laura said, “Music and poetry can be so healing, whether it is in the listening, the performing, or the writing of songs and poems. I know creativity has helped keep me afloat through depression and illness, and I am glad to have this meaningful setting where I can share some of the work that has emerged during painful healing processes.”
Community members are invited to join in this celebration on Wednesday, February 22 at 6:30 pm for a sit-down dinner (catered by the Buckhorn) at the Veterans Memorial Center (203 E. 14th Street).
Tickets, can be purchased in advance on a Sliding Scale, $50 – $75 (purchase at the door will be $75). Advanced payment is strongly recommended. Organizers say this event is expected to sell out.
Tickets are available for purchase online: https://squareup.com/market/nami-yolo . More information available at (530) 756-8181, www.namiyolo.org or friends@namiyolo.org
