NAMI Salutes Influential Individuals For Their Courage In Speaking Publicly About Personal Experiences With Mental Illness

NAMI is honoring five individuals who have shown outstanding courage in publicly disclosing their personal or family experiences with mental illness and who continue to forthrightly discuss the impact of mental illness in their own lives. NAMI is sponsoring the benefit to raise money to support the organization's national HelpLine, which serves millions of Americans and their families.

• DR. KAY REDFIELD JAMISON - Johns Hopkins University author of An Unquiet Mind, best-seller on manic-depressive illness
• ELLEN HART PEÑA - attorney; consultant for ABC Movie of the Week, "Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Peña Story"; Harvard Eating Disorders Center Advisory Board
• SENATOR HARRY REID (D-NV) - sponsor of Senate Resolution 84, which recognized suicide as a national problem worthy of a national solution
• REPRESENTATIVE LYNN NANCY RIVERS (D-MI) - worked closely with Michigan Alliance for the Mentally Ill on state mental health issues; announced her 24-year battle with manic-depressive illness in the final days of her 1994 campaign
• TRACY THOMPSON - reporter for The Washington Post; author of The Beast: A Reckoning with Depression.

Honorary Chairs:

• SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH AND MRS. GINGRICH
• SENATOR PETE DOMENICI AND MRS. DOMENICI
• SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE AND MRS. WELLSTONE
• DEMOCRATIC LEADER RICHARD GEPHARDT AND MRS. GEPHARDT

Mistress of Ceremonies:

Awards Presenter: