|  |

|

NAMI Consumer Council Vice Chair: Mark Arneson

I decided when I was in the hospital the first time that I owed those people less fortunate than me something.

A few years latter I ran into the mother of someone I had met in the hospital and she exposed me to NAMI. She really mentored me into a statewide leadership role right from the start, when I became a member at large of the NAMI South Dakota Board. Because of my board membership, I was named to several different state committees and councils over the next years, while remaining active in NAMI. I became an In Our Own Voice presenter, NAMI SD Consumer Council secretary and President.

As the NAMI SD CC President I was the state representative to the National Council. I saw the other consumers who had made a difference and recognized the opportunity for myself to help continue this growth, at the national level. I saw that by becoming part of the leadership team, I could have an impact as Vice Chair. To me being in a leadership role allows me to have and impact on the road of recovery at a higher level. This includes my own recovery.

|  |

|

---

Join NAMI today!

When you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness. And now you can join online.