NAMI CARES
Concern, Advocacy, Research, Education, Support
March 2013
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"The affordable housing system is a complex web of agencies and funding streams for which accountability and dollars are widely dispersed. From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the federal level, to state housing finance agencies, to public housing authorities, to local nonprofit agencies, to landlords and tenants, it is a system just as complex and difficult to navigate as the public mental health system itself." ~Andrew Sperling, director
of federal legislative affairs, and Mike Fitzpatrick,
national director, NAMI policy research institute in 2003 Housing remains a Major issue. Obtaining access to decent, safe and affordable housing is often a difficult struggle for a person with a mental illness, their families, and for parents who are aging. Stable housing is the foundation on which long-term recovery is built. Unfortunately access to affordable housing for people with mental illnesses is becoming increasingly difficult. Substantial research indicates supportive housing works to break the costly and inhumane cycle of hospitalization, homelessness, and "criminalization" of people with severe and persistent mental illness. A 2001 University of Pennsylvania study found that costs of permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals with mental illness are nearly the same as the costs incurred by their remaining homeless (including such costs as emergency room treatment, psychiatric hospitalization, and incarceration). Attend the NAMI DKK General Meeting
on Saturday, March 9, 2013
for a panel discussion
Transitional Services:
From Hospital to Home
(see details below) Additional Resources:
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NAMI DKK General Meeting & Annual Members Meeting
Saturday, March 9, 2013
9:00 am: Coffee & Conversation
(Includes brief annual meeting. NAMI DKK members
will vote for the officers of the Board of Directors)
9:30 to 11:00 am Panel Discussion
Topic:
Transition Services:
From Hospital to Home
Local agency professionals will share information on discharge planning and transition services available in the NAMI DKK area.
Presence (Provena) Mercy Center
Main Hospital Building Lower Level, McAuley Room
1325 North Highland Ave
Aurora, IL 50506
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Memorials
Honoring those who have left us
 NAMI DKK would like to honor those people that have meant so much to their families and friends and also to NAMI DKK. If you have a loved one that is no longer with us but you would like to have remembered please contact us at info@namidkk.org or call one of our volunteers at 630-896-6264. We will then contact you to discuss how you would like to have that person honored. We will be placing a plaque in our office with names and if it is desired we can mention that person in our newsletter and on our website.Back to Top
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NAMI DKK Saturday Coffee
March Coffee
March Saturday Coffee
March 23, 2013
at
Association for Individual Development (AID)
Behavioral Health Services,
1230 N Highland Ave,
Aurora, IL 60506
Our next Saturday Coffee will be April 27, 2013
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Psychiatric Disorders Genetically Linked
From an article in MyHealthNewsDaily
Feb 27, 2013 | 6:22 PM ET | Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer
 Five distinct psychiatric disorders-autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia - may share some genetic risk factors, a new study finds.
During the study, researchers found four genetic markers that may play a role in all five diseases. These markers were more common in people with the one of the psychiatric disorders compared to healthy people.
Two of these markers are found in genes thought to be involved in balancing the level of calcium in brain cells, the researchers said. (Calcium plays a role in many different cell functions, including communication between cells.) Of these two markers, one has been previously linked to bipolar disorder and depression, and the other to schizophrenia.
Although these five psychiatric disorders are thought of as separate conditions, they share some symptoms. For instance, mood and thinking problems can occur with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. And children with ADHD often have symptoms of other developmental disorders, such as autism. In fact, a 2011 study detected genetic changes that were common to both ADHD and autism.
Because these psychiatric disorders share symptoms, researchers have not always agreed on how to classify them. The new findings might one day help researchers reclassify psychiatric conditions in a way that incorporates genetics, the researchers said.
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Organizing a Mental Health Awareness Campaign
Invitation to March 19th, 2013 Resource Meeting
Greetings!
SAVE THE DATE AND SPREAD THE WORD!
Have you been wondering what you can do in your faith community for "May is Mental Health Month"? Or how you can set up a calendar of topics for the year?
"Planning a Mental Health Awareness Campaign" is the next of a series of exciting bi-monthly resource events sponsored by the Interfaith Mental Health Coalition.
It will feature examples of how faith communities and mental health providers are promoting mental health awareness in their communities.
You will be able to view a drama skit, hear three panelists describe how they do mental health awareness at their faith communities, and see a demonstration of where various web resources are located that can be customized for your faith community.
Please send this email to others who may be interested, or make copies of the invitations or Save the Date cards below and spread them around!
Thanks,
Robert Skrocki
bpskrocki@comcast.net
630 802 0769
Hope to see you there! And please invite your friends and colleagues to maximize the impact of these meetings!
Mental health practitioners and university students with an interest in learning how to effectively partner with faith communities are also welcome to attend.
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Creativity and Mental Illness
What is the link?
 Kay Redfield Jamison
On February 25, 2013 Kay Redfield Jamison spoke at Aurora University. Ms. Jamison is the author of the book, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness and Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament.
Ms. Jamison presented an overview of Mania and Depression. She also discussed case studies of famous creative people and explored the link of Mania and Depression with creative productivity.
Dr. Nancy C. Andreasen
This is an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Andreasen by Courtney Reyers, NAMI Publications Manager
NAMI: Your work around creativity and bipolar is fascinating-I have seen a link between mental illness and creative people in my work as a journalist interviewing musicians, actors and writers. I often ask them about this link and they say that they see it a lot of mental illness in their line of work. What can you tell us about that connection?
Andreasen: In a way, this is another first in my career. My first Ph.D. was in Renaissance English literature, and I taught for five years before I went on to med school (and three of those years were here at the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop). I decided to do a study of creativity in writers in the workshop as a side project. My hypothesis was that the writers wouldn't have mental illness, but that I would find it in their family members. I had done a lot of work on James Joyce, who had a daughter with schizophrenia, and Albert Einstein, who had a son with schizophrenia-there were a lot of examples of the link between creativity and mental illness.
As I began to contact the workshop writers, frankly I was astounded when they came in, one after the other, and told me about their own problems with mood disorders-to the tune of 80 percent of the writers I interviewed. It was one of those instances where you're taught that science provides hypotheses and then you confirm them, but it's far more interesting when you can't confirm them. These writers had a high rate of mood disorders as well as a high level of creativity in their families. Since then other researchers have done studies with slightly different designs, and it's been a fairly well-replicated finding.
It's difficult though because you have to identify creativity and identify a group. I'm currently replicating my first study in a second study. I said to myself: Did I get these results because I studied writers? Is there something about being a novel writer that requires a lot of introspection and self-criticism? What would happen if I studied other creative types? You mentioned music, acting-and there are the sciences. The multiple examples of schizophrenia I can think of are based in science and math-what would I find if I studied schizophrenia instead of bipolar?
One of the issues is recruiting people who are both prominent and busy. For my second study, I would use people who are already well-recognized, who have won Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, the Fields Medal, math prizes-people like George Lucas who is well-known in his field.
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Coming Events
NAMI DKK Board Meeting -
The next meeting will be April 8, 2013.
The Next Saturday Coffee will be March 23, 2013. Please watch our announcements for more details.
Support Groups:
Wednesdays: NAMI Connection Support Group from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Provena Mercy Center (details)
Thursdays: NAMI Connection Support Group from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at Association for Individual Development (details)
March 12, 2013 - NAMI Support Group meets in Yorkville 7:00 to 8:30 pm (details)
March 12, 2013 - NAMI Support Group meets in Elgin 6:30 to 8:00 pm (details) March 19, 2013 - NAMI Support Group meets in Aurora 7:00 to 8:30 pm (details) March 19, 2013 - NAMI Support Group meets in DeKalb 7:30 to 9:00 pm (details)April 4, 2013 - NAMI Support Group meets in St. Charles 7:00 to 8:30 pm (details) Save the Date:
March 9, 2013 at 9:00 am - NAMI DKK General Meeting Topic: Transitional Housing
(See above for details)
April 29, 2013 - PIAT Northern Illinois Conference on Childrens' Mental Health (see details below)
June 27-30, 2013 in San Antonio Texas - NAMI National Convention (see details below)
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PIAT Event in Northern Illinois
Save the Date
Piecing It All Together
How Children's Mental Health / Mental Illness Affects Home, School and Community April 29, 2013
Morraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, Illinois NAMI Illinois proudly announces the latest concept in mental health education: a conference focused on childhood mental health conditions designed for parents, teachers, and mental health and justice system professionals to attend.
Piecing It All Together (PIAT) brings all these groups together to learn from national and regional experts about current research and treatments and to hear the same message of hope for the future. The most important people in a child's life will gain new skills and information to help that child achieve success at home, at school, and in life.
If you love or work with a child with an emotional disorder such as ADHD, depression, or bipolar disorder, PIAT is a conference you will want to attend!
Watch for the latest information on presenters and sessions,
visit the NAMI Illinois website at http://il.nami.org/piat.htm
Registration information will be available soon.
NAMI Illinois
217-522-1403
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Eating Disorders Awareness
By Katrina Gay, NAMI Director of Communications
(from a February article on nami.org)
This week, Feb. 24 through March 2, is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, themed "Everybody Knows Somebody" by the National Eating Disorders Association, NEDA.
Eating disorders are some of the most challenging mental illnesses and are serous, life-threatening conditions. Affecting one in 20 people during their lifetime, eating disorders frequently occur in people with other mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse issues and as with other mental illnesses, early identification and early intervention are keys to recovery.
NAMI joins NEDA this week in support of the aim to ultimately prevent eating disorders while reducing the stigma surrounding these conditions and improving access to treatment.
NAMI recently spoke with Andrea Vazzana, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and eating disorders specialist, to learn more about eating disorders and how to help a friend or loved one living with one of these conditions.
Read more about Eating Disorders including common myths
Read: Discovering the Biological Basis of Anorexia
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March Fast Fact
Treatment [for Eating disorders] works best the earlier you can begin it. The longer the condition persists, the more deadly it becomes with more physical complications to manage.
~Andrea Vazzana, Ph.D.,is a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and a licensed psychologist at the Child Study Center.
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Northern Illinois NAMI Holds Event in Rockford
Everyone is invited 
NAMI Northern Illinois
would be honored to have you attend our 4th ANNUAL
GET TO KNOW NAMI EVENT.
"Get to Know NAMI" is designed to promote NAMI as a resource for individuals living with mental illness, families, mental health providers and the general public. We have all been been touched by someone who lives with mental illness. A neighbor, co-worker or family member.
We hope you will " SAVE THE DATE" and join us along with all of our friends here in Northern Illinois.
Open House - March 12, 2013
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Klehm Arboretum 2715 South Main Road,
Rockford, Illinois
Three types of Awards will presented at 6:00 p.m:
A special FRIEND" of NAMI award
A special award for the media.
"NAMI STARS" will be recognized for their work or activities that embody the principles of NAMI.
There will be ongoing presentations from recent graduates of our Family to Family and Basics education courses.
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Loophole for Mental Health Care
By PAIGE WINFIELD CUNNINGHAM | 3/4/13 4:38 AM EST in Politico
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Even if you get insurance under the new health care law, that's no guarantee you'll be able to pay your shrink.
With mental health on the front burner since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, Democrats have pointed out that the Affordable Care Act expands access to mental health care in several ways. It will get coverage for more people, either through private plans or Medicaid - and the benefits will have to include mental health. A number of other proposals are circulating on Capitol Hill to address gaps in behavioral health.
But all that won't help much if psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors don't accept insurance. No one keeps tabs on precisely how many of the 552,000 mental health professionals in the U.S. - according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - won't accept private health insurance. But patient advocacy groups and provider organizations say many don't want to accept low pay rates - and the insurance paperwork.
"It does come up regularly, and I'll tell you where it's especially acute - there's a tremendous dearth of practitioners for children, and of the few who are there, many, many of them don't take insurance plans," said Debbie Plotnick, senior director of state policy for the advocacy group Mental Health America.
Andrew Sperling, a lobbyist for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said, "There are a lot of private practice psychiatrists who refuse to accept the lower rates offered by a plan, particularly for outpatient services, so that can create an access problem."
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In an attempt to fill coverage gaps, Congress enacted the Mental Health Parity Act in 2008, requiring large insurance plans to treat any mental health benefits they offer the same way as physical health benefits. But the law won't be fully implemented until the Obama administration spells out more specific rules - which mental health advocates have been pressing for.
The problem isn't so much with Medicaid, which together with assorted other federal, state and local programs pays nearly 60 percent of all mental health care costs in the country, according to SAMHSA.
Advocates say Medicaid offers a pretty good mental health benefit, although it varies state to state.
Instead, it's the people who don't qualify for government insurance programs who struggle to pay for treatment - often because they can't find a provider who accepts their insurance or because their health coverage limits treatment.
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Several proposals to address gaps in the system are circulating on Capitol Hill.
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New Family Support Groups
Family Support Groups in DeKalb and Aurora
NAMI DKK is adding two new family support groups to their growing list of family programs.
DeKalb
7:30 to 9:00 pm at NIU
Founder's Memorial Library Room 202
Meets on third Tuesday of the month generally. There will be some variation due to school calendar.
For details and dates call Anne at 815-557-4522
Aurora
A bilingual (English/Spanish) Family Support Group will begin February 27, 2013.
It will meet in Aurora
For more information call Manuel at 630-995-1336 Registration is not required
and there is no charge.
NAMI DKK support groups offer a safe and respectful environment for family and friends of individuals living with mental illnesses. Groups provide members with time to share, listen and learn through a mutually supportive audience of their peers. All groups are confidential and participants may share as much or as little personal information as they wish.
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Readers' Corner
Mariel Hemingway Focuses on Family's History of Mental Illness in
Running From Crazy
By Brendan McLean, NAMI Communications Coordinator
The new documentary Running from Crazy, chronicles the life of Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of the famous novelist Ernest Hemingway. Focusing on Mariel's personal history of mental illness, drug addiction and the suicides of seven relatives, including her sister Margaux and grandfather, the film offers a poignant look into one of America's most well-known families.
Directed by Barbara Kopple, two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker (for the 1976 documentary Harlan County, USA, and the 1990 documentary American Dream), the film places an emphasis on suicide awareness and the importance of mental health evaluations. Both Mariel and Barbara hope that the film offers hope for people living with mental illness by showing that they are not alone in their struggles.
The film is currently only showing at festivals around the country but the film is awaiting a theatrical release later this year (check the film's Facebook and Twitter to stay updated about festivals and when it will appear in theaters).
NAMI recently spoke with Mariel and Barbara about the film and what they hope viewers take away from the film.
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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 provide support education and advocacy for persons, family members and communities dealing with mental health issues
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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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DONATE TODAY
NAMI DKK needs your help to continue providing support and education for those with mental illness and their families.
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Support Groups
NAMI DKK Support Groups are sponsored by Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership
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 Bennett room, Presence (Provena) Mercy Hospital (lower level), in Aurora.
630-761-6971 (Buzz)
Aurora Bilingual(English/Spanish)
4th Wednesday of the Month
630-995-1336 (Manuel)
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) Yorkville:
2nd Tuesday of the Month
7:00 to 8:30 pm
Yorkville Congregational Church
409 Center Parkway,
Yorkville, IL 60560
630-779-4933 (Carrie)
DeKalb:
Generally meets 3rd Tuesday of the Month. Call for specific dates
7:30 to 9:00 pm
NIU Founders Memorial Library
200 Carroll Avenue, DeKalb, IL 60115 815-557-4522 (Anne)
2nd Tuesday 6:30-8:00 p.m.
St. Joseph Hospital
77 N. Airlite, Elgin
(St. Mary's Room lower level)
Call Laurie 847-695-7957
NAMI-DKK CONNECTION SUPPORT GROUPS
Wednesdays:
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at
Presence (Provena) Mercy Hospital,
Behavioral Health Building,
1325 N Highland Ave
Aurora, IL 60506
Voris Conference Room
Thursdays:
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at
Association for Individual Development (AID)
Behavioral Health Services,
1230 N Highland Ave,
Aurora, IL 60506
Small Group Room
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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 Loved Ones Diagnosis: Family support
. 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.netWebsite: 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: click here
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. |
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Creativity Corner
Share your Creative Endeavors!
We would love to have contributions for our newsletter from anyone 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.
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Resources
Mental Health ResourcesNAMI Contact Information:NAMI DKK (DeKalb, Kane South & Kendall Counties) 630-896-6264 NAMI Illinois (state organization) 800-364-4572 or 217-522-1403 NAMI National 800-950-6264 or 703-524-7600 Back to Top
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Lazarus House offers housing
Housing Resource for Kane County
If you know someone in mid Kane County who needs a place to stay, encourage them to call Lazarus House at 630-587-2144 about shelter services.
If it's rent or utility help that they need, have them call 630-587-5872 for a confidential appointment to see if they qualify for assistance. Lazarus House grants help low-income persons in Kane County who struggle to make ends meet. Pass out our number. We are here to help!
Lazarus House
214 Walnut Street, St. Charles, Illinois 60174
Main number (shelter)
630-587-2144
Outreach (rental assistance)
630-587-5872
Email: Info@LazarusHouseOnline.com
Web Site: lazarushouseonline.com
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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, librarian, 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.
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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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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 Glenn Tredinnick - Treasurer Mary Ihnenfeld - Secretary Denise Edwards Jim McNish Bobbie McQuade Nigg Robyn Vickers Advisory Board
Elaine Mulligan Buzz Hays Jack Hazel Cheryl Johnson Legal Advisor: Alschuler, Simantz & Hem, LLC - Jan OPittman, Legal Assistant Accountant: Borhart, Spellmeyer & Co. Back to Top
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Educational ProgramsHelping 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: Call our office for more information about buying raffle tickets for our annual Dinner/Raffle. They are usually available in January and the first week of February of each year. Drawing is at our annual dinner. You do not need to be present to win. 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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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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