Monday, September 14, 2009

Walkin' & Rollin'!

Hi all!! Happy late summer, early fall!! The NAMI Walk is quickly approaching on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at noon. Have you got your team online yet? What about your team's t-shirt? Do you have a great design? How big is your team? Can you get it to grow and be the largest team this year? What about fund raising? Has each of your team members raised $100 so they can get a free NAMIWALKS t-shirt? So many questions...Easy answers! Do you have MORE questions? Just email Phill at namiwalks@namilex.org.

NAMI is so excited about our newest project called Participation Station! It is a peer run center where consumers in all stages of recovery can come to attend a educational class, attend an exercise class, listen to a speaker, or just hang out and enjoy a good cup of coffee. Our mission is to provide a program based environment that educates, empowers and enhances the lives of individuals moving towards recovery and mental wellness. What a great opportunity we have! Thank you Shannon Ware,CEO of Bluegrass, and the members of the Bluegrass Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board for the use of the space at the old Comprehensive Care Center on Mechanic Street in Lexington!

Personally, I have been doing very well. I still have my set backs, but overall I am doing well. I started taking a couple classes at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and I will be the Director of Participation Station. Whew! The therapy in Cincinnati called EMDR has changed my life! Thank you Dr. Hensley for everything!

We will need lots of volunteers for the new Participation Station, so if you would like to be involved with this awesome new project, just give us a call at (859) 272-7891 or email me at val@namilex.org and I'll hook you up.

SEE YOU AT THE WALK!!!
Val

Monday, July 20, 2009

Happy Summer

Hi all! It's summertime and as the temperature gets hotter, so does the excitement at NAMI Lexington! We are gearing up for our Walk on Saturday, October 10, 2009. The next big event is the Kick off Luncheon on Friday, August 14th. It will be held at the Fayette County Extension Office in Lexington from 11:30am-1:00pm. This meeting is for anyone interested in getting involved and learning more about the upcoming Walk. Space is limited, so call our office at (859) 272-7891 to RSVP.

My biggest excitement this summer has been that Shannon Ware,CEO of Bluegrass, and Bluegrass Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board has granted us space for a peer support center (drop-in). We are calling it The Participation Station! This center will be located at the Comp Care Center on Mechanic Street in downtown Lexington. The current Comprehensive Care Center will be moving to the new Joseph A. Toy Center on Newtown Pike. We are expecting to have our grand opening on or around November 1st! This center will be consumer-run. This is a huge opportunity for consumers to help in their recovery. We plan to have alot of different support groups, bring in speakers, have art classes, have movie nights, and just enjoy participating in improving our quality of life. We are thinking about being open some in the evenings and weekends, when most consumers don't have much to keep them busy. I will keep you posted along the way as we get closer to our grand opening!

We have had a change of leadership at NAMI KY. Cathy Epperson, retired CEO of Adanta in Somerset, KY, is the acting executive director and we just elected new officers and board members at the Annual meeting this past weekend.

Personally, I have been having a great summer. I am planning on taking a couple of classes in the fall at Bluegrass Community & Technical College, my doctor has reduced and discontinued a couple of my medications because I have been doing so well, and I am almost finished with my EMDR therapy in Cincinnati, OH.

Keep checking back at this website and this blog for allthe goings on here at NAMI. We do alot and our activities are always growing. So stay tuned!!