May is Mental Health Awareness Month!! While NAMI pushes for mental health awareness all year long, May is an extra-special month to raise awareness and celebrate the importance of prioritizing mental health in our lives and throughout our communities, workplaces, schools, and public offices.
Read on for the MANY ways you can get involved this month:
Schedule or Attend a Training
Does your business, school, or organization want to prioritize mental health this month? Schedule a FREE mental health or suicide prevention training and help us reach our goal of providing 31 trainings during the month of May.
Email education@namimch.org to get started.
Join us for one of our public Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention trainings this month!
In-Person: May 28th at 5:30pm at NAMI (email education@namimch.org to RSVP)
Virtual: May 30th at 5:30PM (click here to register)
Attend the Gala or Bid in the Auction
Whether or not you can attend our Sunset Gala in person, you are invited to bid in our silent auction! Bidding opens at 7AM on May 4, and will close at 7PM on May 10. You can bid on $10,000+ worth of packages from the comfort of your home. Click here to preview items and begin bidding on May 4!
Attend a Pop-Up Drop-In Event
We are hosting TWO very special Pop-Up and Drop-In events in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. These events are designed for individuals in recovery and family members to access on-demand recovery support and advocacy services, as well as enjoy fun community activities: food, crafts, games, and more!
Join us:
May 18th from 2pm - 6pm at NAMI (620 Dakota St, Crystal Lake)
May 25th from 2pm - 6pm at NAMI (620 Dakota St, Crystal Lake)
Sign up for NAMIWalks McHenry County
After a 10-year hiatus, we are pleased to announce that NAMI McHenry County is hosting a walk!! Join us on Saturday, October 5 at Veteran Acres Park in Crystal Lake for NAMIWalks McHenry County.
This event will reach more than 500 attendees and thousands of additional community members across the county for a powerful morning of mental health awareness. NAMIWalks McHenry County will include the largest mental health resource fair of the year; a family festival with fun for all ages; music; guest speakers; snacks; raffle baskets; and more.
This event is FREE to all attendees!
T-shirts are given to each attendee who raises at least $100, and there will be exciting prizes for our top fundraising teams and largest teams. Click here to launch a team or sign up as an individual.
Advocate
Share on Social Media
The Mental Health Board is hosting a Town Hall meeting on May 9 from 5pm - 7pm. Attend this meeting to share you opinions on the mental health needs in McHenry County.
Want to continue advocating after this meeting? Click here to sign up for advocacy alerts from NAMI National!
Help us break the stigma around mental illness and share your story or a Mental Health Awareness Month graphic on social media. NAMI National has created a special toolkit just for this month. Click here to browse the content!
Support NAMI McHenry County
Make a Donation: Donate online, or participate in your employee giving campaign. Don't see us on the list? Write us in! Use "NAMI of McHenry County" with EIN 36-3594174.
Become a Member: Join the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country! Members get access to exclusive resources, perks, and local voting privileges. Memberships start at just $5.
Volunteer: Are you looking to get more involved in the community? Volunteer with NAMI McHenry County! Click here to learn more and complete a volunteer application.
Sponsor an Event: NAMI's annual fundraising events provide crucial support for our programs and services. Consider becoming a sponsor! Click here to learn more.
Planned & Other Gifts: Make gifts of stock or real estate; or make a planned gift (bequests, life insurance policies, retirement account designations, charitable trusts or annuities, and more!). Contact Abbey for more information.
Qualified Charitable Contributions: Did you know you can make a Qualified Charitable Contribution to NAMI McHenry County through your IRA distribution if you are 70 1/2 or older? Click here for more details!