NOVEMBER 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG Nonprofits periodically need to take stock of where they are and where they’re going, and see to the well-being of the organization itself. So amid plans for a program expansion, NAMI Washtenaw County’s board of directors met for an all-day retreat on Oct. 12 at University Commons. “This is theContinue reading Retreat Advances Agenda, Provides Food for Thought
NOVEMBER 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG This is the last newsletter I’ll be editing for NAMI Washtenaw County. I’ve worked on “Connections” for four years and now I plan to continue volunteering for NAMI in other ways. Serving as volunteer editor and reporter has been lots of fun. It’s given me a taste of NAMI’s manyContinue reading Wanted: Newsletter Editor for NAMI Washtenaw County
July 2019 Editor’s Note: This column, a Q & A, is taken from an interview I conducted with Pat Root, now president of NAMI Washtenaw County. LM: Tell me about how and when you first came to NAMI Washtenaw County. PR: I came to NAMI six or seven years ago. I was a client atContinue reading From the Board
July 2019 By Lois Maharg The Empowerment Gala lived up to its name. NAMI Washtenaw’s second annual gala, held May 18 at the Portage Yacht Club, netted almost $20,000, nearly twice the amount raised by the gala last year. “I think there was more participation from the board this year and a little more leadContinue reading Gala Attracts Show of Support
July 2019 By Michelle Frias About 30 horse riders gathered at the Pinckney equine trails on June 1, 2019, to help raise funds for NAMI Washtenaw County. NAMI volunteer Alison Paine hosted this Ride for Mental Health with her horse club, the Pinckney Trail Riders Association (PTRA). Many participants were young community members who wereContinue reading Equestrians Raise Funds for Mental Health
APRIL 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG In a few hours I’ll teach my first NAMI class, Family-to-Family. Teaching is not new to me. For 15 years I worked as an ESL instructor, helping adult immigrants and refugees learn English. What IS new for me is the course content: family and caregiver-related aspects of mental health conditionsContinue reading From the Board
APRIL 2019 BY BARB HIGMAN and MARILYN WEDENOJA When longtime NAMI Washtenaw County member Dr. Marilyn Wedenoja let me know she was retiring from her position as a social work professor at Eastern Michigan University and interested in volunteering in our office, I was thinking of putting together a proposal that would provide an opportunityContinue reading Lend a Hand (and Enjoy Yourself While You’re at It)
APRIL 2019 BY MARK CREEKMORE, BARB HIGMAN, PAT ROOT, & LOIS MAHARG In the current climate of austerity, can the Michigan State Legislature be persuaded to restore full funding to Community Mental Health (CMH)? Three volunteers from NAMI Washtenaw County spent Thursday, April 11, in Lansing in hopes that by sharing their stories with HouseContinue reading NAMI Volunteers Urge Funding for Community Mental Health
APRIL 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG “I am not sick, I don’t need help.” Many of us have heard that line before. Here’s the likely context: We’re convinced that medication and/or psychotherapy will help a loved one’s mental health condition, but they want nothing to do with it. In fact, they seem to be in denialContinue reading A Leap Toward Better Communication
APRIL 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG Volunteer recruitment and retention is a challenge for all nonprofit organizations, and NAMI Washtenaw County is no exception. So Judy Gardner, NAMI WC’s executive director, decided to apply for a Community Engagement Fellowship, hoping to learn more about recruiting and supporting volunteers. “I applied for the grant and I gotContinue reading Executive Director Is Awarded Fellowship
