NAMI Dane County

05/26/2026

🎉Gateway Sponsor🎉

Thank you to Psychiatric Services, SC for their generous support of our Strong Minds & Strong Communities event this upcoming Wednesday!

Generous partners like Psychiatric Services make it possible for us to host mental health events that are free and accesible to our community!

05/26/2026

Violence at school can be very traumatic for students. It's important to keep open, honest, and ongoing conversations open to ensure that they are able to express their feelings and have them validated.

✅Encourage children to talk about their concerns and to express their feelings.
✅Talk honestly about your own feelings regarding school violence.
✅Validate the child’s feelings.
✅Empower children to take action regarding school safety.
✅Discuss the safety procedures that are in place at your child’s school.
✅Create safety plans with your child.
✅Recognize behavior that may indicate your child is concerned about returning to school.
✅Keep the dialogue going
✅Seek help when necessary.

For a more in-depth look at how you can help, please visit: https://mhanational.org/resources/talking-to-kids-about-school-safety/

BREAKING NEWS: Police arrest Monona Grove High School student accused of bringing gun to school

STORY: https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/21/police-arrest-monona-grove-high-school-student-accused-bringing-gun-school/

05/15/2026

Our episode of City Cast Madison has officially dropped!

Our Executive Director Jamie had a wide-ranging conversation with Bianca Martin about the history of NAMI and the deep roots that run through Madison, youth mental health, the importance of talking about mental illness in order to break the stigma for those around you, barriers to care, and resources in our community that are doing great work.

Tune in to listen to this great episode here: https://tinyurl.com/4hd5htxx

05/13/2026

Women United!

Jamie, Michelle, and Jana represented NAMI Dane County today at the annual United Way of Dane County Women United brunch.

Women United is a network of more than 1,200 women across Dane County who are driven, generous and deeply committed to uplifting others with a mission to help more women and their families find pathways toward financial security.

05/13/2026

🎉NEW POSITION OPENING🎉

Join our staff team!

The Administration & Communications Manager is a brand new role that addresses the organization's need for an individual with experience in operations, strategic planning, communications, marketing, and design.

This is an exempt full-time position with a pay range of $60,000-$65,000 annually.

For a full job description, please visit: https://www.namidanecounty.org/careers

05/11/2026

In 1977, three mothers, Harriet Shetler, Bev Young, and Nancy Abraham, each with a son with schizophrenia, met in Madison, WI to discuss the challenges they shared raising a child with a serious and persistent mental illness. The women decided to assemble a group of family members and friends of individuals with mental illness who shared similar concerns.

From there, NAMI, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mental illness, was started because of the love and labor of some pretty incredible moms.

Today, we celebrate those three trailblazing mothers, and all mothers, mother figures, and caregivers who do great things every single day by just loving their children and wanting the best for them.

05/10/2026

May we all find the same joy our Executive Director Jamie has when she gets to hang out with Bianca (Host) and Jade (Executive Producer) to record an interview for the City Cast Madison podcast.

This has big "DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!" energy and we're here for it.

Stay tuned for the episode info, which will drop on Wednesday.

05/08/2026

📣WE ARE HIRING!📣

Programs & Education Specialist

We are looking to add a new member to our staff team who advances NAMI Dane County’s mission by supporting the organization’s Crisis Intervention (CIT/CIP) program and community outreach.

Who is a good candidate?

🎯Comfortable facilitating trainings, recruiting volunteers and presenters, collaborating and communicating with local law enforcement agencies, and leading NAMI signature trainings.
🎯Dedicated to supporting public education and awareness initiatives through community outreach and engagement events and trainings.
🎯Demonstrated skill and comfort in proactively building and strengthening relationships with community partners.

For a full job description and to learn how to apply, please visit www.namidanecounty.org/careers

05/07/2026

It's always a great day when we get a visit from Ginny from the South Madison Rotary!

This group provided us grant funds to help cover the cost of snacks, personal care items, etc. for our work hosting Mental Health Workshops and Support Groups at The Beacon.

Service clubs like South Madison Rotary providing funds that help us best serve our unhoused and housing insecure neighbors is an excellent example of what we can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal of supporting our community.

05/06/2026

What a great opportunity!

NAMI Wisconsin is offering this free virtual presentation - and what better time than Mental Health Awareness Month to gain new knowledge and perspective on how to care for someone you love who is navigating a mental illness.

Join us on Thursday, May 7 from 12:00-1:30 PM for a NAMI Family & Friends virtual presentation. NAMI Family & Friends is a free 90-minute seminar designed to support and empower people who care about someone facing mental health challenges. This presentation offers practical information, coping strategies, and guidance from people who have been there.

Whether you're a parent, sibling, partner, friend, or neighbor, you'll walk away with tools to better understand your loved one's experience and take care of your own well-being too.

Register by May 4: https://namiwisconsin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_41l4BhrhsMZ89L0

05/05/2026

Join NAMI Dane County for a Mental Health Awareness Month event focused on highlighting NAMI Dane County support and education programs and sharing vital resources that empowers every member of our community to thrive.

📌EVENT DETAILS

🥪🥤Food & Beverage: Beverages, light bites, and dessert will be provided.

🎯Activities: Art Therapy, Mindfulness Practices, DIY Self-Care, Make-Your-Own Sensory Kits, Advocacy Post Card Writing, Community Resource Sharing, and more!

🎟️Cost: FREE!

✅Please RSVP so that we can plan for activity supplies and refreshments:

Join us for a Mental Health Awareness Month event focused on highlighting NAMI Dane County's programs that serve our community.