NAMI WALK!!!

I am writing you today to tell you about an upcoming event that I am participating in that is both very important and very exciting to me. It is NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI’s signature walkathon event that is being held in Hemet, CA at Diamond Valley Lake on October 25th 2008.

As most of you already know I have personal experience with Mental Illness. I am an active supporter of inspiring hope to those who have a mental illness. Mental Illness is not something to be ashamed of or hide. There is hope for people living with mental illness especially with all the advancements in medicine the past couple of years. I am involved in this walk for many reasons. First of all I walk for and with my husband of almost 7 years who was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder shortly after we were married. My husband, Karson, is open and honest about his illness and has learned to manage as best as he can with this illness. Through the years we have learned together just how difficult it can be to deal with mental illness. We know it will never be an easy journey but at least we are on this road together.
Second I walk for my family. I have many relatives who suffer from some form of mental illness. I walk to honor them and to let them know they are never alone on this journey. Last but not least I walk because I am part of Riverside County's Department of Mental Health family. I work for Detention Services as a Secretary to the Manager. In my work I have seen just how bad stigma and non compliance can affect not only the person who is mentally ill , but their families as well.

I would like to ask you to come and walk with me or to donate to support my participation in this great event. Visit my personal walker page to sign up: http://www.nami.org/namiwalks08/RVS/desiraeking. It features a link to my team's page where you can see who else is walking with me or join my team. Click on the name of my team, Walk the Brain, to get to our teams page. There is also a link so you can donate directly to me online. Donating online is fast and secure, and I'll get immediate notification via e-mail of your donation. I hope all who signed up for my team last year can join us this year. We still have the T-shirts we did not get to use last year due to the move in the date of the walk. We raised over 700.00 last year so hopefully this year we can go for 1.000.00! I appreciate anything you can give or even if you just give up your time to walk with us.

NAMI, the Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness, formerly the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, is the largest education, support and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by these illnesses. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. The NAMI organization is composed of approximately 1100 local affiliates, 50 state offices and a national office.

The goals of the NAMIWalks program are: to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the mental health system in this country needs to be improved and to raise funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities "most likely to save the world" and has been given an "A+" rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars. NAMI has also been given 4 out of 4 stars by The Charity Navigator for short-term spending practices and long-term sustainability.

Thank you in advance for your support.

DESIRAE KING