DAVENPORT, IOWA (September 3, 2024) — One in five US adults experience mental illness each year, and one in six US youth aged six to seventeen experience a mental-health disorder annually. Yet less than half of them receive treatment. As the American public increasingly understands the critical nature of accessible, affordable mental-health-care, so do the demands on NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, known locally as NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley.
To support its free, nationally-developed education and support programs, power its advocacy efforts and strengthen outreach to the Quad-City region, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley presents its largest annual fundraising event and the Quad Cities’ biggest mental-health advocacy and awareness event. NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley will be held Saturday, September 28, 8AM, at the Bend XPO amphitheater, 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline, Illinois. This year’s event is the 21st annual NAMIWalks in the Quad Cities.
With one in five people experiencing mental illness each year, NAMIWalks Greater Mississippi Valley is expected to attract hundreds of residents across the Quad-City region to celebrate mental health recovery, to let community members know they are not alone and to honor the memory of loved ones lost to suicide.
“This is a new, uncharted time for mental health care. We must recognize the significant impact that current events and societal issues are placing on our mental wellness,” said Angela Gallagher, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley Executive Director. “Our friends, family, and neighbors can afford nothing less than mental health for all. NAMIWalks is a force because we have to be.”
Major sponsors for this year’s walk include: Malik and K Khaliq and Family (Presenting); KWQC-TV (Media); Advance Homes, Inc. (Gold); Lundbeck (Gold); Sears Seating (Gold); SSAB (Gold); UnityPoint Health — Robert Young Center (Gold); and UnityPoint Health — Trinity (Gold).
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is a 45-year affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental-health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley serves residents of Scott, Clinton, Muscatine, Jackson, and Cedar counties in eastern Iowa and Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties in western Illinois. More information can be found at namigmv.org. NAMIWalks sign-up and online walk donations can be made at namiwalks.org/greatermississippivalley.
