BETTENDORF, IOWA (September 23, 2025) — One in five US adults experience mental illness each year, and one in six US youth aged six through 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, October 4, 8AM (walk start time 9:30AM) at the Bend XPO amphitheater, 910 Bend Blvd, East Moline, Illinois. This year’s event is the 22nd 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.
NAMIWalks is a joyful event, with live music, kids, therapy dogs, sponsor representatives, and inspirational remarks in the lead-up to the walk start at 9:30AM.
“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 NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley Development Director Lori Leipold. “Our friends, family, and neighbors can afford nothing less than mental health for all. NAMIWalks is a force because we have to be.”
To join NAMIWalks, visit namiwalks.org/greatermississippivalley.
There is no registration fee, but fundraising is encouraged. Participants raising at least $100 receive an event T-shirt. One-hundred percent of funds raised stay local, supporting NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley’s free mental-health programs, resources, and services to people in the Quad-City region.
Major sponsors for this year’s walk include: Malik and K Khaliq and Family (Presenting); KWQC-TV (Media); Advance Homes Inc (Gold); UnityPoint Health — Robert Young Center (Gold); and UnityPoint Health — Trinity (Gold).
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is a 46-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.
