Nova Southeastern University will sponsor NAMI Broward County’s “NAMIWalks Your Way: A United Day of Hope” 5k fundraiser event on Oct. 9, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Fort Lauderdale campus as well as virtually, to bring more awareness to mental health issues and help those affected by such illnesses.
NAMIWalks Your Way focuses on destigmatizing mental illnesses by making the public more informed about the importance of mental health. Participants are encouraged to complete the 5K in whichever way they choose since mental health is a different experience for everyone. NAMI Broward County is part of the larger NAMI organization that aims to help people that have been affected by mental health issues and to get more people across the country talking about mental health.
Alyce Menton, board vice president & external affairs chair at NAMI Broward County said, “NAMIWalks Your Way is NAMI’s largest event, held on the last day of Mental Illness Awareness Week – October 9th – to continue to bring awareness to those living with, and those loving someone, with a mental illness. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Without open and honest conversations, the stigma of this illness, and how it impacts individuals, and our community, will continue leaving so many living in silence.”
Encouraging people to be vocal about their mental health issues and to be open about how they are feeling, is important in helping someone deal with mental illnesses.
“The National Day of Hope is to celebrate recovery and to remember those we have lost. In addition, the funds raised from the event go directly to NAMI Broward to fund our FREE programs including: support groups to those living with a mental illness, support groups for parents/caregivers of someone living with a mental illness, advocacy support at the local and state level; fighting for the safety and rights of those living with mental illness, training programs, including guardian advocacy, mental health first aid and Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for local law enforcement,” said Menton.
Helping others who suffer with mental health issues and making sure that they know that they are not alone is a core message of this event. Participants of the walk are encouraged to use their creativity to complete the 5K in any way that they would like.
Samantha Cruz, an NSU student majoring in psychology said, “It is a great thing to speak about mental health issues. Speaking more about mental health issues, lets people know that it is okay that they are experiencing things like anxiety and to know that they are not weird because they have it. Speaking about it allows people to open up and hopefully get better when speaking about their experience.”
To learn more about this event, visit the NAMIWalks website at https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=11 26.
Registration for this event is free and can be done by visiting the NAMIWalks website, clicking the “Register Now!” button, and following the proceeding prompts.
The NAMIWalks Your Way organization has a saying which states, “Remember: United, we insist on Mental Health for All”
