Spring 2009

NAMI
New Orleans
News
NEW ORLEANS’ VOICE ON MENTAL ILLNESS
In This Issue
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Jim Woodard
ANNUAL RALLY
Our message to the State Capitol
CARING AND SHARING
NAMI Family Support Groups
NAMIWalks
Upcoming event
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NAMI’s 2009 Board members
WE’RE REALLY COOKING
Healthy budget friendly lunches
SPRING GET-TOGETHER
Board hosted special event
LIONS CLUB
Belle Chasse Lions donate
OUR MISSION:
NAMI New Orleans
offers hope, help and
healing to people with
mental illness and to
those who share their
lives - through family
support, education and
advocacy, and quality
psychosocial services.
Our work helps
individuals live with
dignity and independence
within the community,
enriching all of our lives.
Visit our website at :
www.namineworleans.org
SUMMER , 2009
We’re Back...
So much exciting news to share with you!
It is hard to believe that this is our first newsletter since the Spring of 2005.
As we reflect on all that has happened since our last “Bonjour”, please be assured
that everyone in our NAMI New Orleans family has been in our thoughts and
prayers. As our local world has come to know, we now speak in terms of “pre and
post Hurricane Katrina”….
Although we no longer have the Friendship Club in Kenner, as a result of
Katrina damage, we want to let everyone know about the exciting things that have
been going on since. We are happy to say that we still have our Uptown Friendship Club in New Orleans which was recently painted and our West Bank Friendship Club which has a brand new kitchen, floors and
lighting.
All of our housing projects are up and running, including our New HUD addition, Friendship
House on the West Bank which opened on April 18,
2007. We are especially proud of this facility and
Friendship House
hope to use it as a model for future projects.
We continue to operate our Employment program, our Case Management
program, West Bank Drop-In-Center, and our Medicaid Rehab Services. We have
received funding for other new and exciting programs such as an Uptown Drop-In
Center on Louisiana Avenue which is open five days a week including weekends,
an Assertive Community Outreach/Intervention program, a peer Transitional Service program, SAIL (Supportive Adult Independent Living), and our Crisis Transportation Services.
As you can imagine, the need for mental health services throughout the
New Orleans area has never been greater. We truly thank you for your continued
friendship and past support and ask that you continue to support us in the future.
***************************
In February of 2006, NAMI New Orleans
received its first CARF accreditation for a three year
period. This past February we were re-accredited for
another three years and will continue to renew every
three years, hereafter. We will proudly display our
CARF status on future issues of our Newsletter.
Commission of Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities
Message from the President...
Hurts, Hopes,
Helps and Dreams
Pastor Jim Woodard
Today we benefit from the result of over three decades
of Hopes, Helps, and Dreams; responses to the hurts of people.
The ravages of mental illness on the countless families and
family members through those three decades in the New
Orleans area have actually been the catalyst for the facilities,
programs, and people of NAMI New Orleans. So many times
it is easy to look at what we do and forget who we are. We
DO PROGRAMS but we ARE PEOPLE, people from all
walks and quarters of life. We all have dreams about what we
want to do and be in life, however for those who deal with the
burden of mental illness those dreams have special meaning
and additional challenges.
Thanks to the undying efforts of our staff, the unselfish participation of so many members, and the leadership of
the board, NAMI New Orleans can confidently step into the
future in the face of budget cuts and bureaucracy, certain that
we will find and even create new ways and means of meeting
the challenges we will be required to overcome. To continue
to be successful and build on the foundation given to us by the
selfless efforts of so many in the past we must stay focused on
who we are. Every decision, every action, every plan has a
person or persons at the core.
As we cast off into the next three, five, or ten decades
we will continue with our efforts to set the foundation for the
future of NAMI. That future will be built one deed, one smile,
and one word at a time. Invest wisely, our future depends on
it!
ANNUAL RALLY
at the State Capitol
On May 19, 2009, Mental Illness
Awareness Day at the State Capitol,
also known as Orange Day, a couple of hundred families, consumers, staff, mental health advocates and concerned citizens
rallied at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. The goal for the day
was to raise mental illness awareness and to urge legislators to
adopt legislation and funding for mental health services
throughout the State. We were well represented by our own
President, Pastor Jim Woodard, our Treasurer, Fabio Canton and
Board Member Anne Heard. Additionally, over 25 clubhouse
members and staff strolled through the Capitol and met with
their home town legislators or their staff.
Caring and Sharing
Family Support Groups
The first Wednesday of each month
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Uptown Friendship Club
1538 Louisiana Avenue
NAMI New Orleans
offers support to families of persons with
mental illness at no charge. Gain
knowledge and confidence in dealing with a
loved ones mental illness...you’re not alone.
Contact : Anne Heard 504-460-4863
or Holley Pavy 504-214-5653
We are very pleased to tell you that we are
planning our first ever NAMIWalks for the Mind
of America walk program in the Fall of 2010. From
the beginning seven years ago in 12 sites, NAMIWalks has grown to 74 sites and over 400 NAMI affiliates participating in NAMIWalks across America.
Recently NAMI announced their plans for
expansion of the number of sites participating in this
event and sent out their Request for Proposal process
for selecting 6 new sites for NAMIWalks in 2010. Our
board of directors decided to apply for consideration
as one of the 6 new sites and submitted our RFP at the
end of June. The new sites selected will be notified in
July, 2009 and a formal announcement will be made
organization wide no later than August 1, 2009. We
hope to have much more information for you by our
next Newsletter….stay tuned!
NAMI New Orleans 2009 Officers and Board of Directors OFFICERS
President: Pastor Jim Woodard
Vice-President: Bob Koehl
Secretary: Dudley M. Stewart, Jr., M.D.
Treasurer: Fabio Canton
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Raymond M. Bretz
Paul Bullington
James “Jim” Donelon
Anne Heard
Sen. Edwin R. Murray
Holley Pavy
Rachael Plaisance
John P. Travis
Judge Charlotte White
We’re Really
Cooking
in our kitchen…
Each day around 11 a.m., the halls of
NAMI New Orleans fill with the wonderful
aroma of home cooking. Friendship Club
members and staff plan healthy, budget
friendly home cooked meals. Some of their
delectable creations include Asian chicken and
vegetable stir fry with rice, Caesar salad with
grilled chicken, red beans with sausage, or
they take us South of the Border for some
serious tacos and salsa.
We want to thank everyone in the
kitchen unit for all their hard work and delicious meals and let them know how much we
appreciate all their efforts in their recovery.
Bon Appétite!
Spring Get-Together
This year, in lieu of the annual board
dinner held in April, our Board of Directors decided to host a Spring Get-Together for our NAMI
New Orleans staff and program members. The
setting was the parking lot of the Uptown Friendship Club which was transformed into a festive,
park-like shelter bursting with spring flowers, balloons, decorated tables and chairs. Everyone was
treated to some delicious barbeque, to good music
provided by Willie Nelson “Impersonator”, and
to a relaxed afternoon of getting to know each
other.
Two very special friends of NAMI New
Orleans were acknowledged as first Lifetime
Honorary Members. Harold Martin, who founded
our organization, was presented a beautifully hand
crafted nautical clock and Leah Bullington, a dedicated 15 year board member was presented an
engraved crystal box.
Great fun, a lot of laughs, some two stepping, and a good time was had by all.
Belle Chasse
LIONS CLUB
Donates
The Belle Chasse Lions Club recently
donated $86,000 to NAMI New Orleans from the Lions Club
International Foundation for the purpose of repairing and
renovating our West Bank Friendship Club in Harvey.
This photograph was taken at our newly renovated kitchen.
Louisiana Lions District 8-A
Governor Anthony Fregosi
presented their check to
NAMI New Orleans Program
Director, Lisa Romback.
Joining them are Pastor Jim
Woodard, Wayne Giordano,
Benny Puckett, Mitch Kota,
Terrell Stevens, and several West Bank Friendship Club
members. We would like to express our warmest appreciation and gratitude to the Lions Club. Their most generous
donation and support will significantly help us to continue,
for many years to come, our community support services for
adults who have mental illness.
THANK YOU!
Join Today!
Membership
NAME _______________________________________
___ INDIVIDUAL $35
ADDRESS ____________________________________
___ FAMILY $50
____________________________________
___ CORPORATE $100
___ LIFETIME $500
PHONE ______________________________________
E-MAIL______________________________________
Make checks payable and mail to: NAMI New Orleans
1538 Louisiana Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70115
1538 Louisiana Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70115
Please accept my donation of
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Visit our website at :
www.namineworleans.org