ATTN: Parents/Caregivers of Children and Adolescents

Mental Health Association of South Eastern Pennsylvania Presents PEAK – Being Your Child’s Best Advocate - A Free 4 week Educational Workshop For parents/caregivers who want to learn how to become their child’s best advocate with the systems that serve children and adolescents in Montgomery County. As a participant, you will learn about the following: Behavioral Health, Special Education, Drug and Alcohol, Juvenile Justice, Developmental Disabilities, Early Intervention, Children and Youth
WHEN: April 13 – May 4, 2010 Tuesday Evenings 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
WHERE: Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 West Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403
Cost: Workshop is FREE. Light Meal Provided. A small Stipend towards your Child Care expense will be provided based upon your attendance and participation.
Preregistration is required.
Register by phone, mail or email to: LisaNovick, 601 DeKalb Street, Suite 3 , Norristown, PA 19401, tel 610-279 8511 ext.113, email lnovick@mhasp.org

Educational Forum on Assisted Out-Patient Treatment

The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) of Montgomery County will hold an educational forum regarding current and proposed legislation on assisted outpatient treatment for individuals with mental illness. The event will feature mental health professionals, legislators, family members and individuals in recovery. Our moderator will be Maiken Scott, behavioral health editor for WHYY. The event will take place at Montgomery County Human Services Center, 1430 Dekalb Street, Norristown, on Wednesday, April 7th, from 7-9pm. This event is open to the public. Seating is limited and until noon on Monday April 5th, we will prioritize NAMI MontCo members and residents of Montgomery County. After that time registration will be open to all interested in attending. Please call (215-886-0350) to RSVP.

Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalks collaborates with Actress Glenn Close's BringChange2Mind

BringChange2Mind.org is a not-for-profit organization created by Glenn Close, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF), Fountain House, and Garen and Shari Staglin of IMHRO (International Mental Health Research Organization).

The idea of a national anti-stigma campaign was born of a partnership between Glenn Close and Fountain House, where Glenn volunteered in order to learn about mental illness, which both her sister and nephew suffer from.

BringChange2Mind.org has partnered with NAMI to bring teams to our NAMIWalk in the effort to raise awareness and to eliminate the stigma of mental illness.

Check out Glenn Close's YouTube video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhEhBCt0slw

Call for Board Candidate Nominations and Bylaws Amendments

We currently have three seats on our Board of Directors to fill, and are accepting nominations for candidates. Criteria for eligibility: - Be a member in good standing of the affiliate - Be willing to attend and participate in monthly Board meetings and all committee assignments - Be willing to promote the NAMI mission We are also accepting proposed revisions to our Bylaws. If you are interested in submitting your name or someone else’s as a candidate, please put your nomination in writing (email or hard copy) and provide the individual’s name, address, why you are nominating that person and what you feel they would bring to our MontCo Board. Nominations may be submitted to montconami@aol.com or mailed to NAMI, 100 So. Keswick Avenue, Glenside 19038. If you would like a copy of our Bylaws please contact us by email or at 215-886-0350.

HOLD THE DATE . . . April 7, 2010 - Forum on AOT

We’re finalizing plans to hold a public Information Forum on Assisted Outpatient Treatment. Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) laws allow for court-ordered treatment on an outpatient basis, and have been passed in several states starting a decade ago with Kendra’s Law in New York. Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act has included involuntary outpatient commitment for over 40 years – a little known and little used fact! Our forum will provide information on the current Pennsylvania law, proposed amendments and the concerns of individuals with serious mental illness and their families. We urge you to attend, educate yourself and form your own opinion on this issue. We will email an update once plans are finalized, but in the meantime, please hold the date:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
7 PM to 9 PM
Location to be announced

Art Reach Events

Art Reach continues to be a great success. All of our tickets for the Center City Opera Theater’s presentation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on March 21st were given out, first come first serve within 3 days! (Tickets may still be available for purchase. Please contact the Center City Opera Theater directly at (215) 238-1555) Tickets are still available through Art Reach for Here & Now, presented by the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus. Please contact our office at (215) 886-0350.

Saturday, April 17th, 2010 at 2:00pm
Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus Presents:
Here & Now
AT THE ARDEN THEATER
40 N. 2ND ST.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
We return to the present to examine the importance of friends, lovers, and others who are there for us in time of need. Among the works featured in this concert is the Philadelphia premiere of “Through a Glass, Darkly,” a portrait of 36 hours in the life of a successful young businessman on the verge of losing everything he holds dear to crystal meth addiction

IT'S TIME TO SIGN UP TO WALK NOW!

The Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalk is May 22nd!

Our Walk is growing and we want YOU to be a part of it! Please go to our website and sign up now. Join an existing team or create a team of your own. WHY DO YOU WALK? Please email Neen Davis at neendave@aol.com and share your story with us. We ALL want to STOMP OUT STIGMA and CREATE AWARENESS. Mental Illness touches so many of us. Please sign up now to show your support of this worthy cause.