(Submitted by NAMI)
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Wood County invites all graduates of its Family to Family class—NAMI Wood County’s premiere course in the area– Thursday, September 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 at its offices at 541 West Wooster Street in Bowling Green. The evening will include light refreshments and remarks by course graduates and instructors. Graduates will have an opportunity to share what has happened in their lives since taking the course. Those interested taking the course are also welcome to attend to learn about how it can help them.
One of the first courses NAMI Wood County offered when it began in 1987, Family to Family teaches all those with relatives diagnosed with mental illness about these conditions: their symptoms, their treatments, and how to navigate the mental health system. Facilitators—trained by NAMI—themselves have family members diagnosed with a mental illness. Class members and instructors often form a network of help as they share coping skills—and hope—with each other. For more information about the event, contact NAMI Wood County at 419-352- 0626, or go on-line at www.namiwoodcounty.org.
Also coming up at NAMI Wood County this fall are Tai Chi and the weekly walking group (part of NAMI’s Hearts and Minds program.) Taught to an enthusiastic group last year, Tai Chi will begin again Tuesday, September 12 at 2:00 PM at Carter Historic Farm. Instructor Rich Messer will demonstrate this ancient Chinese art of movement and relaxation to both new and continuing students. The course is free of charge.
Beginning Thursday, September 14, the Hearts and Minds walking group will resume. The group meets at 2:00 PM at the NAMI Wood County offices (541 West Wooster) for this low-impact form of exercise. Both veterans and newcomers are welcome. The Hearts and Mind program focuses on fitness because people diagnosed with mental illness are sometimes more prone to health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Walking is a low-stress way to get back into physical
activity. There is no charge for participating in this group.
For over thirty years NAMI Wood County—one of over 1,100 NAMI affiliates nationwide—has offered education, support, and advocacy programs for Wood County families touched by mental illness.
