NAMI CARES
Concern, Advocacy, Research, Education, Support
JANUARY 2011
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D I N N E R
R A F F L
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You are cordially invited
to come to our
8th annual Dinner/Raffle
on February 5, 2011
at the Herrington Inn in Geneva.
If you don't have your ticket yet please call our office!
* Barry Schrader of DeKalb, Illinois will be honored that evening with the Jim McNish
Advocacy Award.
* The featured speaker at the event will be Dr. Dennis Beedle.
* Price to attend the event: $70 each/ $130 per couple/ $600 for a table of 10
* Pre-event raffle. Tickets will be sold prior to the event and winners will be announced
at the event: first prize-$250
second prize-$150
third prize-$75
* Wine raffle at the event
* Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact
NAMIDKK at 630-896-6264 for more information.
* Ad Book space available. Requests must be received by Jan 21, 2011. Contact
NAMIDKK for more information
* To request an invitation, contact NAMIDKK at 630-896-6264
* To find out how to order raffle tickets click here
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NAMI-DKK
Family-to-Family
Scheduled for February 2011
There are only a couple of openings left in this class so please call immediately if you are interested!
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe mental illnesses. Click here for more details.
Tuesday,
Feb 15, 2010 6:30 - 9:00pm
continuing weekly for 12 weeks
through May 3, 2011
Provena Mercy Medical Center
1325 N Highland Ave
Aurora, IL 60506
Classes are free
Registration is required
To register call Denise at 630-405-9336
Don't miss out - Sign up now! Denise is now accepting names for the August Family-to-Family Classes to be held in St. Charles.
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WHY GIVE TO NAMI-DKK?
Reduce your Income Taxes and Give Hope to Others
Your donations are appreciated by NAMI-DKK now more than ever.
Federal tax laws make it possible to reduce or eliminate taxes on funds you give for charitable purposes. For example, because funds used to make charitable gifts are deducted from the amount otherwise subject to federal income tax when you itemize your deduction, you may be able to give more than you thought possible.
The amount and timing of your charitable gifts are totally within your control. This is why each year millions of Americans take advantages of the opportunity to make charitable gifts while also reducing their tax liability.
As an affiliate of America's largest organization of individuals living with mental illness and their families, NAMI-DKK stands at the forefront of supporting those whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness, and is leading the way in transforming our mental health care system.
NAMI-DKK addresses the education and support needs of families and individuals living with mental illness, advocates for access to treatment and services; supports remarkable advances in research, brings serious mental illness into the mainstream of health issues. NAMI-DKK works to truly become DeKalb, Kane, and Kendall Counties' Voice on Mental Illness.
Click here to find out the different ways that you can donate to NAMI-DKK.
NAMI-DKK is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.
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Discussing the Arizona Tragedy on NPR
From the NAMI Blog on Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011
By Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI Medical Director The tragedy in Arizona raises many more questions than it answers. One key area under discussion is the role of unassessed and untreated psychiatric disorders in the lives of young adults, who are already undergoing multiple life stressors. NPR's popular program, The Diane Rehm Show, as well as Wisconsin NPR and Minnesota NPR, devoted an hour to this crucial discussion this week. NAMI was well represented in these discussions. Pete Earley, a NAMI father and author of Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness; Lisa Dixon, M.D., leading researcher and NAMI scientific advisory council member; E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., of the Treatment Advocacy Center and I participated in the Diane Rehm NPR show. I encourage you to click on the link to the recording of her show from Jan. 11. Mr. Earley spoke eloquently about a parent's conundrum-how hard it can really be to get mental treatment for one's child, in part due to the fact that our health care system has not learned how to dance gracefully between the demands of privacy versus the demands of personal and public safety. Any catastrophic outcome gives us all pause to reflect what we can learn, and some facts will emerge over time to understand decision points in the Tuscon tragedy. If there is one positive note, it's that tragedy can sometimes inspire public discourse about an often silent problem-the failure to have an accessible and well resourced mental health system. When we see evidence of how high the stakes can be when it happens that someone in crisis does not receive timely intervention, it can help focus attention on improving culture of help seeking, and the need for diagnosis and treatment. Because treatment does work-it comes down to investment in college, public and private mental health and substance abuse services and to our collective acceptance as a culture that getting help is positive and healthy. Such an investment ends up being less costly-in dollars and heartache-in the long run. Find out what parents can do when they are concerned about a child and read the rest of the blog.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
These are two of the sponsors for our annual dinner/raffle.
GOLD SPONSORS ($1,000 - $2,499)Julia & Casey Mulligan with the Wm Wrigley Jr. Co. Foundation SILVER SPONSORS ($500 - $999)Elaine & Tom Mulligan
If you would like to be a sponsor please call our office at 630-896-6264.
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Employer Matching Donations How do I secure a matching gift for my donation to NAMI-DKK?
Contact your Human Resources Department to find out if your company has a Matching Gift Program.
If they have a matching gift program, your company likely uses one of two ways to secure your additional matching gift to NAMI-DKK: (Most common) Obtain your company's matching gift form, fill out the "Donor" section, and mail it to NAMI-DKK when you send your donation. NAMI-DKK will complete the "Charity" section of the form, and mail it back to your company. This will confirm that we received your gift and request their matching gift.
(Less common) Make your donation to NAMI-DKK through the mail or phone. Upon receipt of your gift, NAMI-DKK will send a letter acknowledging your contribution. Bring this letter to your Matching Gift program coordinator who will distribute your company's matching gift to NAMI-DKK. Why should I give a matching gift to NAMI-DKK? Matching gift programs allow you to allocate your company's charitable dollars to the cause nearest and dearest to you heart, greatly increasing your donation's value to NAMI-DKK.
What's more, NAMI-DKK considers your corporation's matching gift as part of your total contribution. Therefore, your $50 gift can become a $100 or $150 gift to NAMI-DKK. So please -- go ahead and make a donation to NAMI-DKK today!
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Coming Events
NAMIDKK Board Meeting - The next meeting will be February 14, 2011.
February 5, 2011 - Annual Dinner/Raffle in Geneva
February 15, 2011 - Tuesday 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Family-to-Family Classes begin, continuing weekly on Tuesdays for 12 weeks to May 3, 2011. See information above for more details.February 25, 2011 - Friday 8:00am to 3:00pm Parents and Teachers as Allies presentation for the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Educators will have the chance to learn about this wonderful NAMI-DKK program.
Save These Dates
April 26 to May 8, 2011 - Next to Normal Broadway production in Chicago at the Bank of America Theater.July 6-9, 2011 - NAMI National Conference to be held at Chicago Hilton |
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Message of the Month
From the Kane County's Mental Health Council
MENTAL ILLNESS: A TRUE MEDICAL ILLNESS Contrary to popular myth, mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia are true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes: definable, diagnosable and treatable. Research reveals that mental illness is widespread. It is estimated that one in four adults suffers from a serious mental illness, and sixty-to-ninety percent of individuals receiving appropriate treatment can have a significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life. Although many uninformed or misinformed people believe a person who does not behave "properly" only needs a good talking to and some strong supervision to get him or her back on track, serious mental illness does not just "go away," nor does ignoring it make it disappear. It is fact that there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders and that serious mental illness requires professional help: medication, psychotherapy, and community support systems, including support within faith communities. Advocates working toward a better understanding of mental illnesses call attention to the need to dispel the age-old myths, thereby reducing the stigma associated with mental illness that keeps so many individuals from wanting and seeking help, and families silent and isolated. Great strides have been made in promoting mental illness education. The media play an important role when portraying positive stories about mental illness - not just the tragedies. Today, advocate groups are encouraged by the passage of the new federal parity law now being implemented in many states, which provides equal insurance coverage for mental illness as other medical illnesses.
Info Corner: National Alliance on Mental Illness: www.nami.org/ Archives of General Psychiatry 2005 archpsyc.ama-assn.org/
National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
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How to order Raffle Tickets
send us your order by Jan. 28th
First Prize: $250 Second Prize: $150 Third Prize $100 Raffle winners need not be present to win!Let us do the work. We'll fill out the raffle stubs for you. Mail us by Jan 28, 2011 and you will be entered in our raffle. Please include the following information along with your check or money order made payable to NAMI-DKK: 1. # of single raffle tickets - $5 2. # of books (6 tickets each) - $25 3. Name 4. Address including street address, city, state, & zip 5. Phone 6. Email address Mail to: NAMI-DKK, 400 Mercy Lane, Aurora, IL 60506
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January Fast Fact
'Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of what it is to be human". In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life".
Wikipedia
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Help Researchers Study Learning Disabilities
Why is learning so difficult for some children?
The researchers use fMRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to study how a child's brain reads, does math and how it changes as they develop.
Children are asked to participate in:
~standardized testing of reading, math and IQ
~Practice sessions to learn math and reading tasks
~MRI sessions of brain structure and function
Testing takes place after school or on weekends at Northwestern University (Evanston) and the center for advanced MRI (Chicago)
The entire project takes about 8 hours your time and participants who enroll will be paid
Who is invited to participate?
~Children ages 8 to 13 years old
~Typically developing children
~Children with dyscalculia (math disability)
~Children with dyslexia (reading disability)
~Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
If you are interested please contact:
(847) 4676842 or dcn@northwestern.edu
www.dcn.northwestern.edu
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Next to Normal Tour Hit Broadway musical comes to Chicago in April
The most talked about new show on Broadway is Next to Normal - the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushes Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone). With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other.
Read more about the hit Broadway show
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Parity Implementation Toolkit Available
Mental Health Parity Toolkit can help you understand new rights and benefits under the parity law
NAMI and other coalition partners working on the implementation of the 2008 Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act have developed a toolkit. The toolkit will assist people living with mental illness and their families to determine if their group health plan is in compliance with the new law. The Parity Implementation Toolkit also provides resources on how to file a complaint and report non compliance to appropriate regulatory authorities.
The Parity Implementation Coalition developed this toolkit to help you to understand the law, to file complaints and to appeal denied claims. They may update it as regulations are clarified and additional FAQs are made available. The information included in this toolkit is meant to be helpful, but should not substitute for legal counsel.
A copy of the toolkit can be downloaded on the NAMI website
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Schizophrenia Research
Study needs participants
Northwestern University is looking for participants for a Schizophrenia Research Project. The studies look at different aspects of the illness using MRI technology, clinical interviews, and cognitive testing. Individuals with schizophrenia, their mothers, and their siblings are encouraged to contact Dr. John Csernansky's research lab at 312-695-8643 to find out which studies they qualify for as participants. The major goal of this study is to improve understanding of the underlying causes and mechanisms of schizophrenia, especially during its earliest phases. Participants are compensated up to $25 per hour for their time.
See the flyer for more details
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Please note that this study still needs participants as of October 2010. If you are interested it is not too late to sign up.
Research Study Opportunity
Patients and Family Members Needed to Help Solve the Puzzles of Bipolar Disorder & Schizophrenia
Researchers are looking for participants for a project called Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP). The B-SNIP project is funded by the National Institute of Health to learn about risk for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder and their associated biological and behavioral traits (called intermediate phenotypes). The goal of this research is to help better understand the causes of these illnesses so that better treatments may be developed.
For more information or to enroll contact:
B-SNIP Research Study LineCenter for Cognitive Medicine,
Suite 235, Department of Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center
912 S. Wood St., Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312-355-5549
Email: bsnip@psych.uic.edu
You can find out about other research opportunities at nami.org.
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NAMIDKK
Vision Statement
VISION: NAMI-DKK is dedicated to the eradication of the stigma of mental illness by
improving the quality of life of all those striving for mental health wellness.
NAMIDKK
Mission Statement
MISSION: The mission of NAMI-DKK is to advocate, educate
and support persons, family members and communities dealing with mental health
issues
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Support Groups
NAMI-DKK FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS
(No charge, no reservations needed)
These support groups provide relevant information, valuable insight, and the opportunity to engage in support networks. The groups are led by family members that have been trained in classes provided by NAMI Illinois. Family members are invited to join more than one group to provide more frequent support.
Aurora:
3rd Tuesday of the month,
from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
The McDermott room, Provena Mercy Hospital (lower level), in Aurora.
630-761-6971 (Buzz Hays)
DeKalb:
This support group is currently not meeting. Please contact our NAMI-DKK office at (630) 896-6264 for the latest information.
St. Charles:
1st Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
The Congregational United Church of Christ, 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd. St. Charles, IL. (To get there, go west on Route 64 to Fox Mill Blvd. and turn left. The church is south of Fox Mill on the left. The entrance is on the south corner from the parking lot.)
630-584-7481 (Lynette Niequist)
Elgin (NAMI Kane County):
2nd Tuesday 6:30-8:00 p.m.
St, Joseph Hospital
(St. Mary's Room lower level)
Call Laurie 847-695-7957
NAMI CONNECTIONS RECOVERY GROUPS
(No charge, no reservations needed)
Currently the NAMI-DKK Connections Recovery Groups are not meeting.
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OTHER AREA SUPPORT GROUPS
KENDALL COUNTY SUPPORT GROUPS:
The Kendall County Health Department provides the following support groups lead by mental health professionals. For further information please contact the KCHD Admissions Coordinator, Rhonda at (630) 553-9100 X8053
· Life Strengths: Peer Support for those dealing with chronic mental illness.
· Understanding your Diagnosis: Family support and for those individual(s) working towards mental health recovery.
. Dual Diagnosis Group: Treatment for those individuals addressing both substance abuse and mental health issues.
DEPRESSION & BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE:
DeKalb(NIU): Meets Monthly the last Saturday at 12 noon in Immanuel Lutheran Church on Russell Rd.
Follow signs. Easy parking
Contact person: Charles Smith Phone: (815) 398-9628 Fax: (815) 398-5995 Email: mrsippy1d@comcast.net Website: www.grouphope.org
Fox Valley: Meets 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at:
Behavioral Health Services Bldg.
Campus of Central DuPage Hosp.
27 W 350 Highlake Rd.
Winfield Rd., Winfield, IL.
Contact person: Judy Kramer, Pres.
Phone: 630-466-4851
Email: Judykramer@MCHSI.com
Website: www.DBSAFoxvalley.org
CARES Support Group - led by and for individuals working towards recovery
Monday mornings 11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Ecker Center, Elgin - 2nd Floor
for information: NAMI - 847-426-4594
NAMI DUPAGE COUNTY SUPPORT GROUPS:
NAMI DuPage has several support groups that are open to anyone no matter where you live. There is no charge for these groups. To find out more about these groups and where they meet you can go to: http://www.namidupage.org/support/support-groups
NAMI BARRINGTON SUPPORT GROUPS: NAMI Barrington has two family support groups that are open to anyone no matter where you live. There is no charge for these groups. To find out more about these groups and where they meet you can click on this link. |
Consumers' Corner
Calling all consumers!
We would love to have contributions for our newsletter from Consumers who would like to share personal stories, poetry, ideas that have helped you make it through the rough times, or any creative work. If you would like to contribute visual art please contact Nina for details on how to do that.How do you feel about the word "Consumer"? That is the word used by NAMI to indicate a person with a mental illness. Does that word work for you? Do you have an idea for another word that might indicate who you are, yet do it in a positive way? Let us know what you think. Please send your ideas to Nina and she will pass that information on to our Board for consideration. Back to Top |
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Resources
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Volunteer Opportunities
Do you want to help?
NAMIDKK would love to be doing more but there is just not enough time in our days to do everything we think of. If you have an hour or more to help us out we would be glad to hear from you. For some things you do not even need to come into our office to help. If you can help us returning phone calls we will provide training and resource materials. If this is something you would like to do, please contact Elaine at 630-377-1563 or epmulligan1@gmail.com.Your help as volunteers would increase our ability to help improve the quality of life for individuals with mental illness and their families. We need: a grant writer, a publicity coordinator, speakers bureau volunteers, help line call takers, dinner/raffle help, more people for our educations programs, someone to join NAMI National's Stigma Buster Alert program, people to help update resource information, as well as newsletter submissions. |
Membership BECOME A MEMBER OF NAMI DEKALB, KANE SOUTH & KENDALL COUNTIES
NAMI DKK is a nonprofit organization affiliated with NAMI - The National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Membership includes: Membership in Illinois and National NAMI
NAMI National's publication Advocate (quarterly)
NAMI Illinois' publication Stateline (quarterly)
NAMI DKK CARES email Newsletter (monthly) New members receive a welcome packet and our NAMI-DKK Handbook (when available). Please complete the information below and mail your check or money order to NAMI-DKK 400 Mercy Lane, Aurora, Illinois 60506 Name:___________________________ Address:_________________________ City:_____________Zip:_____________ Telephone (s):_____________________ Email (s): ________________________ Individual: $30/year _______ Advocate: $100/year _______ Lifetime: $500 _______ Written Newsletter Only _______ ($10 suggested donation) Open Door $3/year _______ (Those with limited means/fixed incomes are invited to join at this reduced rate) Donation Only $ _______ Total Enclosed: $ _____________ Note: Membership and donations are tax deductible. Back to Top
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Forward This Newsletter
PLEASE PASS THIS ON
If you know someone that might benefit from getting this newsletter you can use the link below to forward this newsletter to them. If they enjoy it and want to get it all the time they can subscribe, but only if they want to. They will not be automatically put on our mailing list.
The newsletter is a great way to keep up with what is going on with NAMIDKK, find resources, and learn about ways you can help.
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About Us
NAMIDKK can be reached by
phone: 630-896-6264
fax: 630-896-6365
email: info@namidkk.org
mail: 400 Mercy Lane
Aurora, IL 60506
website: namidkk.org
NAMIDKK is an affiliate of a national network of NAMI groups all over the world. The national website
has many resources for both consumers and families, educational
information about mental illness and treatments, and the latest news
concerning our issues. NAMI Illinois is the state organization
that can direct you to local events and groups as well as keeping us
updated about what is happening in our state. The state website also has resources and links to other organizations.
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NAMIDKK Board of Directors
Phyllis Graeser - President Nina Finch - Vice President Jack Hazel - Vice President Walter Deuchler - Treasurer Mary Ihnenfeld - Secretary Suzanne Deuchler Denise Edwards Bethany Genenbacher Regina Harris Jim McNish Elaine Mulligan Betty Schoenholtz Jennifer Wilcox Legal Advisor: Alschuler, Simantz & Hem, LLC - Jan OPittman, Legal Assistant Accountant: Borhart, Spellmeyer & Co. Back to Top |
Educational Programs
Helping schools reach out to children with mental illness
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PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS ALLIES:
Parents and Teachers as allies was created to help families and school professionals identify the key warning signs of early-onset mental illnesses in children and adolescents in our schools. The program is intended to provide an educational tool for advancing mutual understanding and communication between families and school professionals. This program is designed for two-hour teacher in-services, parent PTA sponsored evenings, and mental health professional classes.
RED FLAGS:
Red Flags is a depression awareness program for middle school students. It is generally taught in health classes and takes 3-5 class periods. The teacher can choose between 2 DVD's: "Claire's Story," or "Thick'n Thin," a more recent story of teenage depression. Two additional DVD's go with the program, as well as suggested class activites, information on mental illness and discussion topics.
ENDING THE SILENCE:
Ending the Silence is a high school health class presentation, typically presented during the mental health portion of the curriculum. This interactive program teaches the basic signs and symptoms of mental illnesses in teenagers, presents personal stories to reduce stigma, and provides many resource materials for students.
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Ways to donate to NAMI-DKK:
 By phone: Call 630-896-6264 By mail: Click here to fill out a form that you can print out and mail to our office. At your workplace: An easy way to double - even triple - the value of your contribution to NAMI-DKK! Thousands of companies (of all sizes, in all industries) have Matching Gift programs that "match" their employees' contributions (often Board members and spouses too) to their favorite charities. To learn more about how to match your donation to NAMI-DKK click here.
Planned Giving: You can plan the giving from your estate with the help of an attorney using a number of legal mechanisms, such as a charitable remainder trust, that may enable you to maintain your estate, provide for yourself and your family, and leave a lasting legacy. Sponsorship of Events or NAMI-DKK Programs: Opportunities to donate to NAMI-DKK include sponsoring events such as our Dinner/raffle and our annual Run/Walk. You can designate funds for specific programs. NAMI-DKK programs include Family to Family classes, Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement, adult and student based educational programs, family support groups, a monthly newsletter, printed informational materials and a help call line staffed by volunteers.
To find out more about these and other programs contact NAMI-DKK office at 630-896-6264.
Buy Raffle Tickets: Click here for more information about buying raffle tickets for our annual Dinner/Raffle. Please mail or phone by Jan. 28th at the latest. Memorial and Honorary Giving: Memorial Giving: Your memorial gift to NAMI-DKK is a personal remembrance that honors the life and memory of a friend or loved one, and offers the gift of hope for the future.
Honorary Giving: Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Mother's or Father's Day, or the arrival of a new baby are special moments that we can help you celebrate. A gift to NAMI is a wonderful way for individuals, organizations, businesses, and groups to honor these special occasions in our lives and pay tribute to a friend or loved one.
Based on the information you provide, NAMI-DKK will send a letter to the family of the memorialized or to the honored person, notifying them of your thoughtful gift.
NAMI-DKK is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.
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