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NAMI, the acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grass roots, self help, education, support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of families who have relatives with a brain disorder (mental illness). This includes families and consumers diagnosed with a mental illness, relatives and friends, professionals, and all who share NAMI's vision and mission.
 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness was founded in 1979 by 2 mothers in Wisconsin who met after a tennis game – discovering they each had a child with severe mental illness.  They shared a frustration at the health system’s care for their children and great hurt from a society who shunned them.

Since that time, nationally, our organization has grown from 254 caring members to over a quarter of a million.  There are now 3 levels to our organization:
 

• A national office - www.nami.org
• State organizations in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam.  In Iowa - www.namiiowa.org
• Over 1200 affiliate chapters within those states (Greater Des Moines is one of those affiliates) www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines

Each level of the organization is a separate 501(c) (3) non-profit tax exempt organization.

We are dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe biological brain diseases.

NAMI is getting stronger every day.  In fact, Worth Magazine recently ranked NAMI in its
"Top 100 charities most likely to change the world".

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