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Facing possible loss of funds, NAMI plans advocacy, event

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There are many ways in which Rhode Island’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helps individuals and families.

Educating the public, connecting those in need with critical resources, assisting friends and loved ones, employing and serving as an advocate for the mentally ill, supporting research – all fall under the nonprofit group’s umbrella, said executive director Chaz Gross. NAMI, he said, is a “safety net” that provides free services to approximately 5,000 people in the Ocean State annually, relying on a very limited staff and the efforts of volunteers.

The organization also relies heavily on the approximately $128,000 in funding it has received from the state. Now, however, NAMI finds itself in dire straits, as Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes no appropriation for the program.

“Every dollar that’s not put into it could lead to someone who falls through the cracks,” said Gross. “This is a great investment for the state of Rhode Island…We don’t want to be the only state in the nation without NAMI.”

The group has reached out to lawmakers and plans to continue its advocacy at the State House. To rally the community behind its cause, the group has also planned special gathering for 6 p.m. April 19 at the Rosario Society at 17 Rosario Drive in Providence.

“We really need to get people to show up and show your support for NAMI,” said Louis Spremulli, a member of the Rhode Island chapter’s board of directors. “We really need it.”

“We’re trying to get our money back [from the state],” said Jonathan Jacobs, who is leading advocacy efforts. “We hope to raise some good funds through [the Rosario Society event].”

The gathering will provide attendees with an opportunity to meet volunteers, advocacy groups, elected officials and families dealing with mental illness. There will be guest speakers, food, drinks, pastries and music, and tickets are available at event, sponsorship and key levels.

For more information visit www.namirhodeisland.org, email chaznami@cox.net or call 331-3060. NAMI can also be found on Facebook.

The personal stories of those involved with the organization demonstrate the positive impact it has made in many lives. Lynn Farlas, a NAMI volunteer, said she struggled with a “very severe illness” for many years. With the organization’s help, she was able to better her situation, and she now shares her experience with others as a means of chipping away at the stigma surrounding mental illness and connecting those in need of support with valuable services.

“NAMI supported me,” she said. “NAMI is, I think, the lead on educating the public…unless you’ve lived with the craziness that is mental illness, you don’t know what someone else is going through.”

Farlas also spoke of a friend who, thanks to NAMI’s support, was able to “embrace recovery,” obtain treatment and stop relying on social services. Now, that friend works as a post-hospitalization support specialist.

“People can go on and live productive lives,” she said.

Joanne Letts’ son has schizophrenia. A frequent traveler, he often got into difficult situations out of state, and she would try to find ways to help. She wasn’t one to talk about her family’s circumstances, however, and fully grasping and addressing the nature of the problem took time.

“I was in that total denial,” she said. “We all think it’s only temporary.”

Letts connected with NAMI, and her son went through successful treatment and now lives at home. She now also volunteers with the organization.

“I couldn’t have gotten through it without their support,” she said. “We’re lucky. We have each other.”

Gross said a major part of NAMI’s work is going to schools, working with law enforcement and connecting with other organizations to share information about mental illness and how to identify its signs and symptoms. More than a year after the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., he said, the value of face-to-face communication on a subject that has so long been stigmatized is especially clear.

“It’s people with lived experience,” he said. “It’s one of our more valuable services.

State Rep. John Carnevale, who is backing NAMI’s effort to restore funding in the budget, said the proposed elimination of financial support for the group illustrates “how inefficient government is.”

“It makes no sense at all,” he said. “If I have anything to do with it, NAMI will get their money back.”

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