PO Box 6212 ● Freehold NJ 07728 732-4NAMI-4U ● www.namigm.org Monthly Update: March 25, 2018 Support Groups – Colts Neck NAMI Greater Monmouth runs support groups on the second and fourth Mondays of every month from 7:15-8:45. Groups are open to anyone over the age of 18 with no fee, need for membership, or need for registration. NAMI Connection (groups for adults dealing with any kind of mental wellness/mental health issue) and Family Support (groups for any adult affected by someone else's mental health/wellness issue) groups run in parallel. WE START AND STOP ON TIME. Upcoming dates: April 9 and 23. May 14, June 4 and 18. FREE. No RSVP. NAMI Connection Group - Neptune City We conduct a NAMI Connection peer support group on the third Friday of each month from 12pm at the CARE Community Wellness Center, 80 Steiner Ave., Neptune City. Upcoming dates: April 20. May 18. Jun 15. FREE. No RSVP. Time to Plan Your Walk Our annual participation in the NAMI New Jersey NAMIWalk is a critical fundraiser and awareness raiser for our association. The walk is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 in Seaside. Please start signing up to walk or form teams to support NAMI Greater Monmouth. In Our Own Voice Public Presentations In Our Own Voice is a NAMI signature program designed to raise mental health awareness, fight stigma, and bring messages of hope and recovery to the mental health community. A program overview and preview video is online. Free presentations anywhere in NJ can be scheduled by contacting [email protected]. We will be conducting public In Our Own Voice presentations • On Saturday, May 5, at 1pm, at the Microsoft Store in Freehold Raceway Mall (downstairs, between Penney’s and Center Court). • On Sunday, June 10, at 2pm, at the Old Bridge Township Public Library • On Thursday, June 14, at 7pm, at the Eatontown Library, 33 Broad St. FREE. No RSVP.

Hearts & Minds Presentations Hearts & Minds is NAMI New Jersey’s program to raise awareness of ways in which those of us pursuing mental health recoveries can take steps to improve our physical health. Presentations are designed to “open the dialog” about • Wellness in eight Dimensions • Healthy Eating, and thinking about what we put in our bodies • Exercise • Medical Care and Screenings • Healthy Habits • Sleep and Rest Free presentations are made around the state, generally in mental health care settings and groups. Public presentations in our area, open to the public will take place at • CARE Community Wellness Center, 80 Steiner Ave., Neptune City on Tuesday March 27 at 1pm. • Freehold Community Wellness Center, 17 Bannard St. on Wednesday April 4 at 1:30pm. We hope you can attend. To schedule a presentation, please contact [email protected]. FREE. No RSVP. Board Meets Monthly Your NAMI Greater Monmouth board typically meets on the third Wednesday of the month at Holmdel Community Church, UCC, or via conference call. Members are welcome to sit in on any board meeting. If you wish to come to a meeting, please call or email us. Upcoming dates: April 18. May 16. Jun 20. The June meeting is designated as our annual meeting; voting on bylaws changes and a board office election will take palce at 7pm on June 20. FREE. Yes RSVP. Proud of our Programs On February 19, 2019, three NAMI Greater Monmouth volunteers visited the Golden Age Rest Home on Hudson Street in Freehold as part of our Bundles of Love program There were 15 people waiting for us when we arrived. We spent some time getting to know them. All of the residents enjoyed receiving the bags of toiletries and appeared very pleased with our visit.

Did you know that every year we provide (on average): 1) Distribute 1500-2000 copies of Keys to Wellness 2) Assistance on 200 or more Helpline calls or emails 3) 58 support group sessions 4) 24 Hospital Outreach/Patient Education (NAMI HOPE) sesisons, and least one major update to the document 5) 10 Hearts & Minds presentations to a local job readiness program 6) 4+ “Bundles of Love” outreach events 7) 1 course of the12-week Family-to-Family Education course? We also sponsor members on the Monmouth County Acute Care Systems Review Committee and the Central Region Family Support Workgroup, maintain a library, and offer several peer scholarships every year

We are all volunteer. We need your help. Please consider stepping up to join our crew. Salary:$0. Reward:Priceess. Membership You may join NAMI Greater Monmouth for our regular annual dues; $40 (individual) or $60 (family) per year by going online. If you are a current member, you can expect to receive a renewal bill by email from our national organization. If you wish to become a member or renew your membership but cannot afford the regular dues, you may join/renew by sending your payment/ contribution (of any amount of $5 or greater) to our PO Box. Mark the envelope "new member" or "membership renewal," and include your phone no and email address. If you do not get email, we will now mail this update to you at least six times a year. You must be a current, paid member to receive this benefit. www.nami.org/get-involved/join. The Science of Caregiver Self-Care Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare is inviting family and professional caregivers to attend a half-day workshop (10AM-1:30PM) on Friday, April 20 at RUBHC, 151 Centennial Ave., Piscataway. The agenda will include • Wellness – Research on whole person approach to self-care • Mindfulness – effective strategies for self-care • Yoga – simple practices for self-care • Caregiver’s experiences • Learn mindfulness and yoga practices you can personally apply • Gain self-care tools and resources for personal benefit. FREE. Yes RSVP. [email protected]. Conferences Scheduled The NJ Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Organizations (COMHCO) will conduct the annual NJ Consumer Conference on Saturday, April 28 at the Ocean Place Hotel, Long Branch. The day-long event features a variety of recovery and advocacy learning opportunities. As or March 12 support groups. Please call or email if you want to be in on the drawing. The NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (www.njpra.org) will hold its spring conference on Thursday, May 24 at the Forsgate Country Club, Monroe Twp. Content will include topics such as • Integrated physical and mental health care • Systems advocacy • Service economics and sustainability Register online. MHA Schedule The Mental Health Association of Monmouth County operates a state-funded Intensive Family Support Service. Various groups and presentations of this service are offered to the public. 732-542-6422 Ext. 103. [email protected]. FREE. No RSVP. • Thursday 4/12 – Substance Abuse and Mental Illness, Eatontown Library • Thursday 4/19 – Mental Health and Well Being, Presbyterian Church - Shrewsbury • Thursday 5/17 – Mental Health and Well Being. Presbyterian Church - Shrewsbury • Thursday 5/24 – Borderline Personality Disorder, Eatontown Library • Thursday June 14 – NAMI In Our Own Voice, Eatontown Library

• Every Friday, Family Support Group, 10AM-noon, MHA, 119 Avenue at the Common, Shrewsbury NAMI NEW JERSEY Events You can expect to see a NAMI Greater Monmouth at the following events, all taking place at the Ramada Plaza in Monroe Twp. • April 19, Stigma Council Awards Luncheon • June 9, Annual Meeting/Walk Celebration • December 1, NAMI NJ Annual Conference NAMI Support Groups, Surrounding Counties If you want more NAMI support than we run in Colts Neck & Neptune City, you can also go to: • NAMI Middlesex Connection meeting, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, 3:454:45pm, Moving Forward Community Wellness Center, 25 Elizabeth St. New Brunswick. 732-317-2920. A Keys to Wellness Group runs on the 4th Friday of every month at the same time and location. Scheduled topic for April 27:Boundaries. • NAMI Ocean speaker meetings followed by Connection and Family Support, 2nd Wednesday of each month, 6:45pm, Justice Bldg., 129 Hooper Ave, Toms River. • NAMI Mercer Connection meetings, 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 7-8:30pm, NAMI Mercer office, Whitehorse Executive Center, 1235 Whitehorse Mercerville Rd., Building C, Suite 303, Hamilton. 609-799-8994. NAMI New Jersey runs additional support groups in Middlesex County as part of our NAMI NJ en Español, Chinese American Mental Health Outreach Program (CAMHOP), and South Asian Mental Health Awareness on Jersey (SAMHAJ) programs, and a group in Somerset as part of our African-American "Community Takes New Outreach Worldwide (AACTNOW) program. Calendar April • 9, Support Groups, Colts Neck • 12, Substance Abuse and Mental Illness, Eatontown • 18, Board Meeting, Holmdel or Cyberspace • 19, Stigma Council Awards Lunch, Monroe Twp. • 19, Mental Health and Well Being, Shrewsbury • 20, Science of Self-Care, Piscataway • 20, NAMI Connection, Neptune City • 23, Support Groups, Colts Neck • 27, Keys to Wellness, New Brunswick • 28, COMHCO Conference, Long Branch May • 5, In Our Own Voice, Freehold • 14, Support Groups, Colts Neck • 16, Board Meeting, Holmdel or Cyberspace • 17, Mental Health and Well Being, Shrewsbury

May • 18, NAMI Connection, Neptune City 19, NAMI Walk, Seaside • 24, Borderline Personality Disorder, Eatontown • 25, Keys to Wellness, New Brunswick June • 4, Support Groups, Colts Neck • 9, Annual Meeting/Walk Celebration, Monroe Twp. • 10, In Our Own Voice, Old Bridge • 14, In Our Own Voice, Eatontown • 15, NAMI Connection, Neptune City • 18, Support Groups, Colts Neck • 20, Annual Meeting then Board Meeting, Holmdel • 22, Keys to Wellness, New Brunswick