Dear NAMI Supporters and Friends,A virtual NAMIWalks? Yes.   You might have thought we were going down that road — as in a walk without a road — and you would have been right. NAMIWalks is going to be a little different this year. We’re not canceling it, not when our collective mental health needs are at their greatest. The NAMIWalks community knows how to think on our feet. Instead of canceling the walk, which would reduce funding when our programs and advocacy are needed more than ever, or even postponing it, we are pleased to announce a walk for our times, NAMIWalks Your Way.

It’s like the regular NAMIWalks, only virtual and with a greater reach: the reach of your imagination, the depth of your compassion. With many NAMIWalks presented at the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, on the same day (May 30), it promises to be a day to remember. With such a united effort, we’re guessing that it will be easier than ever to fundraise, too.

NAMIWalks Your Way means what it sounds like: With so many of our lives compromised and constrained, you get to make NAMIWalks your own. You can walk around your block, you can walk around your garden, you can walk with a wok in your kitchen. If you work from home, now you can walk at home. You can stand on your head. You can a form a team and see who is the funniest, fastest or most artistic. You can “Hula hoop for hope.” You can self-fundraise while you self-quarantine — or do it as part of a team.

We will be sharing more information on how you can take part in our virtual event in the upcoming weeks on our website https://NAMIWalks.org/Tennessee. In the meantime, focus on your self-care and staying healthy. And keep up that sense of humor…it’s good for all of us.   Together we’ll continue to work toward our goal of Mental Health for All.

With all our best wishes,   Anna Collins, NAMIWalks Tennessee Coordinator