If you’re looking for a reason to get outside and moving, May 18 will bring five chapters of a national organization together for a good cause.
On that morning, the National Alliance on Mental Illness will host its annual Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalk on and around the campus of Montgomery County Community College in Whitpain.
This year’s NAMIWalk 5K will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and the walking itself kicks off at 10 a.m., and will bring together five local chapters of the national program meant to raise awareness of mental illnesses: NAMI chapters from North Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and the Main Line will all take part.
The Montgomery County chapter is headquartered inside the Centennial Plaza building at 100 West Main Street, and is one of more than 80 chapters nationwide established to help those with mental illnesses along with their families and friends.
There’s no registration fee, and the walk route and all walk facilities are accessible to those with disabilities – and a “Walking in place” section will have activities for those unable to walk the entire distance. Donations and sponsorships collected by those who walk will help support NAMI programs in the greater Philadelphia area, which include peer support and education for families and individuals suffering from mental illnesses, and advocacy and research for illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Walkers are encouraged to recruit teams of family members, friends, organizations or agencies that would like to take part, and those teams can register online or that morning. As of press time, teams had raised a combined total of more than $61,000 to help support NAMI and its activities, with the top individual and team fundraisers recognized on the walk’s website.
Walkers who raise $100 or more for NAMI through sponsorships or donations will receive official NAMIWalks event t-shirts, and companies, businesses or organizations who’d like to learn more about sponsorships – or volunteers who would like to help out – can do so by contacting NAMI-MC Executive Director Carol Caruso at CCaruso@NAMI.org or calling (215) 361-7784.