NAMI Western Carolina

05/20/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to fundraise with us at NAMIwalks Joy Fest! We met our fundraising goal of $30,000 and we did it in style! 💓🫶🏼

05/19/2026

05/18/2026

Shout out to Great! for these incredible photos of Joy fest!

05/18/2026

Following our first Joy Fest, I feel inspired to share this quote by Adrienne Marie Brown,
“Pleasure is not one of the spoils of capitalism. It is what our bodies, our human systems, are structured for; it is the aliveness and awakening, the gratitude and humility, the joy and celebration of being miraculous.”
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Our work at NAMI western Carolina is often centered around being present with the pain of the world and supporting those who are navigating deep challenge. This year, we made a very conscious choice to rebrand our annual walk as Joy Fest because joy is how we reclaim ourselves from the impacts of oppressive systems. This audio was clipped from our executive director Robin’s opening speech at Joy Fest. Thank you everyone who came out to celebrate and reclaim aliveness together. We will continue this work of being present with pain while also remembering our way back to feeling joy in our bodies.
JOY IS RESISTANCE. JOY IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT.

05/13/2026

This Saturday, come have a blast while supporting mental health in western Carolina. We’re officially at 89% of our fundraising goal, and we are aiming to close the gap at Joy Fest! We will parade through the town at 12 pm!! There will be live music, community singing, and 40 nonprofits and art vendors. We cannot wait to see you there❤️ and as always, thank you for supporting our work!
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Huge thanks to our sponsors making this possible: .health

Shoutout to our amazing entertainers: .redtail.live

Were so excited to have our local artists come out to vend:
.koyote .artist

We are also siked to welcome our community non profit partners to the event as well

05/07/2026

IT’S ALMOST TIME!!

Joy Fest is NEXT Saturday and we cannot wait to see you there!

May 16 · 11am-2pm Pack Square Park, Asheville, NC
joyfestavl.org

Music. Community. Singing. Dancing. Free to attend!
Every dollar raised goes directly toward mental health support right here in Western NC.

Come celebrate, donate, and make a difference for your neighbors who are struggling.

Shoutout to our amazing entertainers: .redtail.live

Huge thanks to our sponsors making this possible: .health

Were so excited to have our local artists come out to vend:
.koyote .artist

We are also siked to welcome our community non profit partners to the event as well


Tag a friend who needs a day full of JOY and share this so we can raise as much as possible!

05/06/2026

Our namiwalks Joy Fest t-shirts are in!!! Thank you for screen printing these beauties!!! Come out to Joy Fest on May 16th 11-2 in pack square park to support our mental health fundraiser and to snag one of these t-shirts while they last!!!

05/05/2026

We are officially at 75% of our $30,000 fundraising goal!!! Here’s what you’re supporting when you donate!

- we support families who are supporting adult children with mental health issues.
-we run 32 support groups per month including 8 art groups! And we are actively expanding! We have added 8 groups in the past two months!
-last year we had over 1500 attendees at our groups!
-we partner with local law enforcement to offer crisis intervention trainings!
- we offered ending the silence, a mental health education presentation to 325 students in Madison county!
-we ran a mental health art show partnering with local artists and businesses to showcase the therapeutic value of art.
-we offer coffee, snacks, and support to anyone who walks into the office, and we answer crisis calls daily!
- we support adult children who are in and out of the justice system and in-patient care due to untreated bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis.
- we create a community where people feel more connected and less alone!!!!

100% of the money you donate goes directly to our local community in western Carolina !
Thank you for supporting what we do!!!

05/04/2026

This year, we are turning our NAMI walks into a Joy Fest! We will still host our walk, but we will be hosting it as a joy parade led by our local joy leader ! The will be joining us for the walk, inspiring playfulness within all of us! .redtail.live will be leading us in community songs! We have 40 vendors and nonprofits signed up to share their art and resources with the community! We hope to see you there May 16th in Pack Square Park 11-2!

05/01/2026

We’re looking for volunteers to help create a day full of music, art, connection, and joy. Joy Fest is a fundraiser for local grassroots mental health. We need support to make it happen easefully! If you want to volunteer reach out to noabeck@namiwnc.org or call us at 828-505-7353