Fundraising for Mental Health Organizations NAMI & AFSP

After seven years of struggling with symptoms—including psychotic depression where I had intense anhedonia & was hearing voices—I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I am so grateful for the treatment & encouragement I’ve received from the mental health community. Now I look for opportunities to support mental health advocacy any way I can.

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is one of many organizations that offered support when I had none. NAMI holds an annual walk to promote mental health advocacy & raise money for their work. I will be walking in it in Denver, CO, this May, & my goal is to raise at least 100$ for the cause. Your donation will definitely make a difference. Click here to donate.

One month before the NAMIWalk is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Campus Walk in Boulder, CO. One study revealed that the suicide rate was more than twice as high among patients who had not been treated compared with those who had been treated, a difference the authors called “spectacular.” Adequate psychiatric treatment could save up to 5, 000 lives per year. I first attempted suicide at age sixteen, & I have since attempted more than once. With organizations like NAMI & AFSP, help is more available. I wish I’d known about these types of organizations when I was younger; maybe my first suicide attempt would have been my last. For this suicide prevention walk, my personal fundraising goal is $100. I would appreciate any support that you can give for this worthwhile cause. Click here to donate.

If you could donate 10-25$ to one of the walks for mental health advocacy & awareness by mid-April, it would truly mean a lot to me—not only to support these incredible organizations, but to support my efforts in recovery during my daily struggles with mental illness. ANY amount is helpful & will mean a great deal to me personally. I deeply thank you for your kind & generous support.

Blessings, peace, & love from Colorado,

—Kristin Windsor

More information on AFSP:

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, advocacy, education, & prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 40,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. & over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP’s mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent. We are the leader in the fight against suicide. We fund research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy, & support survivors of suicide loss. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia & headquartered in New York, AFSP has 67 local chapters with events nationwide. Thanks to Walkers & Donors like you, AFSP has been able to set a goal to reduce the annual suicide rate 20% by 2025. Check out our website for further information at www.afsp.org.

More information on NAMI:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI advocates for access to services, treatment, supports & research & is steadfast in its commitment to raising awareness & building a community of hope for all of those in need. Thousands of members & supporters are the face & voice of the NAMI movement—families, individuals, friends, & businesses—who come together to celebrate mental illness recovery, to honor those who have lost their lives to mental illness, & to combat stigma, promote awareness, & advocate for others. Check out their website for further information at www.nami.org.

What Did NAMI Accomplish in 2011?

• Over 135,000 people walked in 84 NAMIWalks across the country & three NAMIBike events were piloted to raise awareness & support.

• We wrote & released key reports on the state budget crisis & barriers, elevating our

• advocacy platform profile with the media & policymakers.

• We trained & certified over 1500 new volunteer teachers who educated over more than

• 12,500 new families & individuals through our peer-led programs.

• We aggressively responded to the tragic Arizona shooting tragedy & successfully shaped the national dialogue, focusing on the real story—a shattered mental health care system.

• A total of 116 VA hospitals & medical centers in 46 states are hosting NAMI education classes for families of veterans in just the second year of this rapidly-expanding initiative.

• We distributed over 500,000 brochures on mental illness educating the public about the true nature of mental illness.

• We trained more than 2,000 new volunteers who live with mental illness to present our education speaker’s bureau, In Our Own Voice, to over 50,000 audience members.

• We responded to 200,000 incoming telephone, email, social media, & postal requests for support, information, & referral through the NAMI HelpLine.