Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
Location: Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake
Registration & Check-In: 8:00 am
Walk Begins: 9:00 am
Distance: 5 K
Mark your calendar to join us for our 4th Annual NAMIWALKS For the Mind of America on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, located at the corner of W. Riverside Drive and S. 1st Street, across from RunTex, in downtown Austin. We will walk up Congress Avenue to the State Capitol, around the Capitol and back to Auditorium Shores. The Walk will take place rain or shine.
Our Austin Walk is part of a nationwide program sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) that has two primary goals:
1) To increase public awareness about mental illness and the devastating effects that
it has on the lives of millions of Americans – one in five families – every year.
2) To raise much needed dollars to help fund the wide array of NAMI support, education, and advocacy programs.
NAMI Austin will be devoting a substantial portion of our 2009 Walk proceeds to the development of Austin’s first “clubhouse” following the standards of the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD). Clubhouses give individuals living with
the effects of mental illness opportunities to rejoin the worlds of friendships, family, important work, employment, education, and to access the services and supports they need to succeed. You can read more about the ICCD clubhouse model at www.iccd.org.
In 2008 our Walk raised over $100,000 with more than 850 walkers participating. This year our goal will be to raise $125,000 and register more than 1,250 walkers.
Our Team Captain Kick-Off Luncheon, held at the Wells Fargo Tower Auditorium on August 11th, was a huge success.
A capacity crowd heard about NAMI Austin programs and why the NAMI Walk – our only annual fundraiser – is so important.
Anne Pritchard, our MC, did an outstanding job, as did all of our speakers including Austin City Council Member Chris Riley, NAMI Austin President Lisa Moore, Family Team Chair Cathy Weaver, Austin Clubhouse Start-Up Specialist Kelly Roten, Walk Assistant Andrea Hunt, and In Our Own Voice Presenter Nancy Weaver.
The energy and enthusiasm was contagious and everyone left motivated to build their walk team and help raise money for NAMI Austin and our programs. Many thanks to all our volunteers who helped with the luncheon.
Below you will find links to the NAMIWalks website where you can register online, create a Walk team, join an existing Walk team, sponsor a walker, or be an event sponsor. You can also send us an e-mail to tell us you'd like to volunteer to help.
Should you need assistance with the online registration process, please call Margie Gardner at (512) 925-8155 and she can help “walk” you through the online process.
If you prefer to complete a paper registration form and mail it in, please use the “Registration Form” link at the bottom of the page under the heading “Related Files.” Here you will also find additional NAMIWalks materials available in PDF format for downloading and printing yourself.
Bookmark our NAMIWALKS website where you can track our progress as we get closer to Walk Day – Saturday, October 10th.
We are extremely grateful for the substantial financial support of our many sponsors. If you would like to become a 2009 Walk Sponsor, please call Margie Gardner at 512-925-8155 or send her an e-mail.
Austin
NAMIWalks
