e sse nt i al nonprofit
NAMI
Dane County
Beginning in 1977, several mothers, each with a son with schizophrenia, met to discuss the challenges they shared raising a child with serious mental illness. These mothers assembled a group of family members and friends of persons with mental illness who shared similar concerns, forming the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. This name was chosen partly because of its beautiful acronym, AMI, which means “friend” in French. AMI was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in November 1977, with Bev Young serving as the organization’s first board president. In September 1979, with the assistance of Roger Williams from University of Wisconsin–Extension (UW–Extension), AMI Dane County organized a national conference at the Wisconsin Center in Madison. The conference was titled “Advocacy for Persons with Chronic 14 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
BY ANNA MOFFIT
Mental Illness: Building a Nationwide Network.” Sponsors included UW– Extension Mental Health, UW– Extension Health Policy Education, and the Dane County Alliance for the Mentally Ill. The organizers hoped for as many as 50 people, but, amazingly, 284 representatives from 59 groups (representing 29 states) attended— among them were mental health professionals, including Dr. Herbert Pardes, then director of the National Institute of Mental Health. By the end of the conference, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) was formed. Today, NAMI is based in Arlington, Virginia, and has grown significantly with 600 local affiliates and 48 state affiliates. “These trailblazers, Harriet Shetler, Bev Young, and Nancy Abraham,
changed the mental-health landscape through tireless dedication,” says Anna Moffit, executive director. “NAMI Dane County’s legacy continues to drive the work done today in Dane County. … Our mission is to provide education, support, and advocacy for people affected by mental illness in Dane County as well as to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness to ensure that people get the support and information they need. We rely on a vast network of volunteers with lived experience to implement our education programs, community presentations, and support groups. Peer support is a foundational piece within our model of support for individuals impacted by a mental illness.” During the pandemic, NAMI Dane County needed to quickly pivot to online programming. Knowing that individuals living with a mental illness
