NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walks in Tucson on April 6
Monday, April 1st, 2013
Saturday April 6, 2013
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Check in 7 a.m.
Walk starts 9 a.m.
Every journey begins with that first step! As NAMIWalks celebrates our 10th Anniversary in 2012, we are proud to be the largest and most successful mental illness awareness event in America! Through NAMIWalks’ public, active display of support for people affected by mental illness, we are changing our American communities and ensuring that help and hope are available for those in need.
I proudly walked last year after hearing then-CD 8 Congressional candidate Ron Barber (who was shot twice on January 8, 2011 by a mentally ill man) speak compassionately about supporting mental health issues and programs. He said he held no hatred against the mass shooter. Odaiko Sonora taiko drumming group then helped start off the walk around the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium area, across Ajo Road to the Sam Lena Park and the nearby detention basin ponds, and back to the stadium. About 4,000 people joined in this walk, many with team tshirts.
Go to http://www.namisa.org/, or call 520-622-5582 to register. There are two walks, a 3K and a 5K walk.
Nami programs: family education & support, peer education & support, anti-stigma & advocacy, and support groups
Being as today is April Fool’s Day, I need to emphasize that mental illness is not a joke. We in Tucson know how important mental health services are, especially after that fatal mass shooting on January 8, 2011 by Jared Lee Loughner. He needed intervention and counseling (and hospitalization), and the recent reports released by the Pima County Sheriff reveal the extent of his mental condition prior to the shooting, and what his parents Randy and Amy Loughner knew of his mental illness.
Please support this NAMI walk to raise awareness about mental illness and that help is there for those who need it.
