What's New at NAMI NH - Affiliate Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2005
News to distribute and share with your groups and classes. This newsletter is currently only sent to leaders and teachers so please make copies and share, or forward emails to add members to the distribution list.
NAMI NH receives 3 year grant for Suicide Prevention Project
This grant will allow NAMI NH to continue its work on the Frameworks project and expand into several other communities. Details of this project are on the NAMI NH website.
Because of the size of this project NAMI NH will be hiring several new employees specifically for this grant work. Because NAMI NH now relies on grant or corporate funding for much of its work, you may see some other projects being cut back or eliminated at the same time work in this area is being expanded upon.
As part of this project NAMI NH will be working with the SOS group (Survivors of Suicide) These are family members all over the state who are coming together to help each other deal with the devastation of suicide of a loved one. With one of the prime causes of suicide being mental illness, you may come in contact with family members who would benefit from this type of group. I will be forwarding the SOS newsletter out to you all, and it will be posted on our webpage. For information regarding this group, please contact me.
Upcoming Events
Planning ahead for Support Group Facilitator Training or refreshing!
Starting in February we will be providing this training to anyone interested that includes those new to facilitating and those who would like a refresher course. If you or anyone in your group is interested please let me know.
Family Speakers Bureau
NAMI NH has received the funding to train family members on how to share their stories of recovery. The presentation is called “ Life Interrupted, a family story of transformation and recovery” This program is similar to IOOV, but will provide the family perspective. Once volunteers have been trained we are hoping to speak in communities around the state. Affiliates have asked for a “vehicle” with which to share their stories and needs with their communities. We will now have the ability to provide that. Once we have trained family members, we will be looking to the Affiliates to identify groups or organizations that would be interested in hearing the presentation.
If you are interested in being notified about the training and have not given me your name, please contact me.
Affiliate and Teacher Meeting Minutes- September 2005
Finally the meeting minutes and the results of our workgroups have been put together. In our efforts to be frugal we have posted these minutes on our website. Click on the “Affiliate News” button on the left of the main screen. This takes you to the Affiliate News page which includes copies of all these newsletters and the meeting minutes. For those without computer access I will be mailing out copies. Please respond with any comments.
NEEDED
***Two family members with children or adolescents who have a serious emotional disorder and are receiving services through the public mental health system to sit on the NH State Mental Health Council for Children and Adolescents. The Council meets every 2 months on a Tuesday from 5:30-7:30pm, light supper is provided, mileage reimbursement is available. If interested please contact Claudia Ferber at NAMI NH 1-800-242-6264 or cferber@naminh.org
***Members -
Teachers and Affiliate Leaders please ask your groups and classes to join NAMI NH, membership is vital to the organization now more than ever.
Also a reminder that teachers and leaders are asked to have current NAMI NH membership themselves. NAMI NH is working to send out membership cards with renewal dates on them, if you want to check on your membership contact the office or email me.
Affiliate News
- The Concord Parents Meeting the Challenge group is off and running this fall, I visited this group in October and they have a great mix of folks attending. Our thanks to Helen Harrison and Vikki Cater for co-facilitating and keeping this very needed group alive. The groups Dec 10th meeting will be to celebrate the holidays and spend some time together for a social gathering. Helen attended her church fair this month and displayed NAMI materials along with our pins and necklaces for sale. Helen raised $350.00 for NAMI NH!!! We thank her so much for giving up her weekend for NAMI NH.
- The Nashua Parents Meeting the Challenge group is working on adding the educational component to their group. I will be heading to their November 14th meeting to help them to organize educational speakers for the coming months. The Nashua Adult group has invited them to participate in their holiday celebration on Dec. 13. This is a great opportunity for both groups to combine and get to know each other.
- The Seacoast Affiliate is offering the Wellness Recovery Action Program, WRAP, in Portsmouth at the Seacoast Mental Health Center beginning January 17, 2006. Kim Wedel, suggested by Ken Braiterman, will be the facilitator. The program is made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation - Piscataqua Section.
- The Littleton Affiliate has invited a speaker to come and address how to handle the pressures and stresses of the holidays, for us and our loved ones! That meeting is scheduled for Dec 6. Also in the planning stages is the dinner celebration of the 5 year anniversary of the North Country group which is scheduled for January17. Also in Littleton, IOOV will be coming to speak to the three high schools in the Littleton area.
- In Berlin two groups are getting ready to start up in the new year. Both a group for those with adults in their lives and a Parents Meeting the Challenge group will be starting!
What’s your group doing??
Thank You !! To those that responded to help on the New Hampshire Hospital Advisory Committee. Several folks have stepped forward to join this important committee. These are the volunteers who tour the hospital every quarter and make recommendations to NHH for improvements and changes. This is an incredibly important service and only takes about 12 hours per year! Anyone else interested please contact me.
Please contact me with news of your groups and classes at acarbonneau@naminh.org or 1-800-242-6264 ext 25.
Thanks,
Annette
