5K NAMIWalk San Francisco Bay Area 2012 - June 2nd in Golden Gate Park

May 16, 2012 - PRLog -- WHO:       
The annual 5K NAMIWalk San Francisco Bay Area in Golden Gate Park directly benefits nine NAMI affiliates in Alameda, Alameda County South, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Solano counties who work together to create this important annual event . The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Thousands of volunteers, families, corporate employees, community groups, and people living with mental illness from the Bay Area will participate and join walkers in over 80 communities across the nation. In 2011, the NAMIWalk SF Bay Area raised over $363,000 which was shared among the seven affiliates who participated last May  to underwrite their FREE NAMI mental health programs most needed in their county.

WHAT:   
8th Annual NAMIWalk SF Bay Area Fundraiser
5K (3 miles) & short 2K walk routes.  

COST: Registration for walkers is FREE, thanks to sponsor donations.  Pre-register as an individual, join a team or create your own at www.namiwalkSFbay.org.

WHEN:   
Saturday, June 2, 2012
9:00 AM (On-site Registration & Check-in)
10:30 AM (Opening Ceremony)
11:00 AM (Walk Starts)
(Post-Walk to 2 PM - live music, info booths, food for purchase follows walk.  Or bring your own picnic lunch.  Dogs on leashes okay.)

WHERE:   
Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park (next to Speedway Meadow)
30th Ave and John F Kennedy Drive, San Francisco, CA, 94121

WHY:      
The annual NAMIWalk SF Bay Area raises funds to support FREE  mental health programs of NAMI affiliates in Alameda, Alameda County South, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Solano counties and helps to educate the public and remove the stigma associated with mental illness.  The 2012 fundraiser is more important than ever. Emergency rooms, homeless shelters and jails increasingly struggle with the effects of people falling through the cracks due to lack of needed mental health services and support.  With a 21.2% percent cut in its mental health budget from FY2009 to FY2012, the State of California ranks among the top ten states in the U.S. to cut support of mental health services.  Proceeds from the 2012 NAMIWalk will be used locally to underwrite and support much-needed Bay Area mental health programs provided by NAMI as a free public service. Programs include Family to Family, a multi-week support and education course for family members of people with mental illness, In Our Own Voice, an anti-stigma speaker’s bureau, Parents and Teachers as Allies, an in-service program helping school professionals better understand the early warning signs of mental illnesses in children, partnerships with multi-cultural agencies reaching out with classes and education materials in Spanish and Chinese. NAMI supports veterans and active duty personnel through its national Veteran’s Resource Center and locally with family support groups specifically for family members of service personnel dealing with mental health issues. NAMI also advocates politically for improved public policies addressing the needs of the mentally ill and their families.  

QUESTIONS? call Walk Director, Laurie Williams at 800-556-2401.  
For more information and to pre-register online, visit. www.namiwalkSFbay.org, or click the following link:  http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMIWALKS&te...

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