| LIFE SAVED / COMMUNITY BENEFITS If it would be just one life that NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness - had saved - literally saved - that alone would mean it had achieved part of its mission of support, education and advocacy of positively impacting mental illness. But it is many more lives than just one that is saved that gives NAMI its significance in Tennessee. It may come as a support program by a staff member offered to a group of individuals with a mental illness. That support gives them hope and a perspective that their life counts for something and they can get better and give back to society. NAMI's major challenges are reaching more people in our communities and having enough staff to respond to the needs to help. The community support NAMI receives sustains the organization and those staff members ready to respond. And Your Gift Helps Make The Difference. NAMI Tennessee is called upon with its HELP LINE to listen to calls from individuals threatening suicide or just needing important mental health information. NAMI Tennessee goes further by finding assistance and referrals to help. Callers are not left feeling alone. And NAMI gives the caregivers and parents of those with a mental illness - information, education and hope that their loved ones can recover. This education is how my wife and I found hope for our daughter, a physician, who had attempted serious suicide because of her mental illness and we found education and hope for ourselves. Through the help of many organizations and people like NAMI she is a practicing psychiatrist today helping hundreds of people . I am committed to helping others with a mental illness and giving their families and caregivers hope. The challenge is to reach other families across the entire state of Tennessee through our staff or one of the 36 local affiliates in the state. Our staff cannot do it alone, so we need volunteers and families who have been helped by education and support. Our grant from the State of Tennessee is not sufficient to meet the needs for staff and programs to help those with a mental illness. We need your help too. Those with a mental illness in Tennessee need your help. Thank you. Richard Baxter Parliamentarian |
