Welcome to NAMI Central Iowa

NAMI CI is a support group made up of those with mental illness, their friends, families, and members of their communities in Ames, Story County, and the surrounding Iowa area. Our goal is to make a better life for people affected by mental illness through support, education, and advocacy. We serve as a source of understanding and encouragement for all who face mental health issues or have a loved one with mental illness.

We've Moved!

We are very pleased to announce that we have moved to our new location downtown at 416 Douglas Avenue, in the City of Ames Historical Society building. This move is made possible by a generous grant from the Story County Community Foundation (SCCF).

The NAMI CI office is in Suite 203, which is on the second floor and is accessible via elevator. The suite includes a lovely conference room, which will be used for board meetings and classes.

The Mental Health Wellness Center is in Suite 100, a series of rooms on the main floor that include an art room, a social room, and a quiet room. The location is near a bus stop, and there is free parking one and a half blocks south, behind Main Street.

The Wellness Center will open its doors in its new location on Monday, January 9, at 1:00. It will continue to be open from 1-4 on weekday afternoons, providing programs with a holistic approach to mental health recovery. Anyone who is diagnosed with a mental illness is welcome to come anytime and check it out. You can find us at the following address (click the address for directions):

NAMI CI Office
416 Douglas Avenue, Suite 203
Ames, IA 50010

Mental Health Wellness Center
416 Douglas Avenue, Suite 100
Ames, IA 50010

Phone: (515) 292-9400

Additional contact information may be found on our contact page.

Carolyn Cared

Carolyn Nielsen

Our December Creative Arts Day was jewelry making thanks to the generous donation of many boxes of beads, jewelry findings, tools, and instruction books. We called our day, "Carolyn Cared" because of a lovely woman named, Carolyn Nielsen. She learned of our art days and our love of jewelry making and, also, our knitting and crocheting classes. Sadly, Carolyn passed away this summer, but asked that our group be given all of her many bags of yarn and a large basket of needles and booklets, in addtion to her beautiful collection of jewerly making supplies. Carolyn was a very creative and gifted artist with a very generous heart. "Thank you so much, Carolyn"

We will be having another "Carolyn Cared" art day in the near future to share the yarn and knitting/crocheting supplies.

Wellness Center Update

This year, we received one holiday gift a little early. At an awards ceremony at ReimanGardens on November 9, Story County Community Foundation (SCCF) awarded NAMI Central Iowa a grant of $20,000.00 to continue the work of the Mental Health Wellness Center. The pilot project that was funded by United Way of Story County endowment funds ends on January 31, 2012.

The Wellness Center has been a great success so far, with around 200 visits each month, thanks to the hard work of our coordinator Linda Sawer and her core of volunteers. The $20,000.00 will cover rent, utilities, supplies, and salary for the coordinator through June 30, 2012.

It also will allow us to find a permanent location and refurbish it to fit the ongoing programs of the center. We are deeply grateful to SCCF for this money which will help people living with mental illness have a space of their own to learn new skills, set goals for a healthy lifestyle, socialize, and reach out to help others. This is definitely a gift that will keep on giving!

NAMI CI Annual Awards

NAMI Central Iowa gave out its annual awards at its educational meeting on November 15. Royce Ann Stockton received the Outstanding Volunteer award for her many hours of volunteering at the Mental Health Wellness Center and for facilitating the NAMI Connection support groups. Jean Kresse accepted the Stick Your Neck Out award on behalf of United Way of Story County, which has provided funding for many NAMI Central Iowa programs as well as the Mental Health Wellness Center pilot project.

Volunteers Nedded!

In order to do the work of NAMI Central Iowa more efficiently, the board is asking for volunteers to serve on several new committees. Each committee will be chaired by a member of the board. Volunteers should expect to give at most 1-2 hours of time each month.

The committees and their chairs are:


Please contact the office at (515)292-9400 if you are willing to help in one of these crucial areas.

NAMI Iowa Walks Update

It was a beautiful day and a successful fundraiser: Stepping out of the Shadows, the NAMI-CI team, had 20 walkers sporting bright pink shirts who raised over $5,000! The funds will support our state NAMI office as well the Mental Health Wellness Center here in Ames. A big thank you to all supporters, volunteers, and walkers.

November Updates

Here is some news about the Mental Health Wellness Center and other events that just could not wait until the December newsletter!

The Mental Health Wellness Center continues to serve a number of people from the community. The November calendar is now in the resources section of the website. Check it out to see all the great programs our coordinator Linda Sawer has put together. In other Mental Health Wellness Center news, we will soon be looking for a permanent location for the Wellness Center. If you know of a building in the heart of Ames with 1,000-2,000 square feet that NAMI CI could rent for a reasonable amount, please contact us!

Our educational meeting this month will be on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Prolonged Exposure Therapy. The speaker will be Jim Judkins from the Richmond Center. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15, at Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 N. Sheldon Avenue (click for directions). Annual awards will also be given that evening.

Our monthly support group for family members of persons living with mental illness will meet on Thursday evening, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 3626 Ontario Street (click for directions). Note the date change due to Thanksgiving.

Mark your calendars for the annual Holiday Shopping Night at Worldly Goods in downtown Ames. On Friday evening, December 2, from 5-8:00 p.m., 15-20% of sales will be donated to NAMI Central Iowa. This is a great place to buy unique gifts for family and friends.

Iowa Mental Health and Disability System Redesign

Last Spring, the Iowa Legislature mandated the complete redesign of Iowa's current system of delivering mental health and disability services, including eligibility requirements, the core services that should be available to all who are eligible, provider requirements, and quality assurance. The Legislature expressed it's intent that the current county-run system should be replaced by regional entities, which will be charged with management of the system and with building provider capacity to respond to the needs of their service populations. Senate File 525 directs the Department of Human Services (DHS) to oversee this process and the Director Chuck Palmer has appointed workgroups to address core services and delivery systems. At the end of this process, DHS will submit a final report to legislators due in early December. - from the Iowa Training Consortium website

Find more information: http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/Partners/MHDSRedesign.html

Send in your input: DHS-MHSRedesign@dhs.state.ia.us

Mental Health Wellness Center Update

by Linda Sawer, Wellness Center Coordinator

Our wellness center opened at the Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 3626 Ontario Street, Ames, IA 50014(click for directions) on August 1, 2011 and it has become a popular place to spend an afternoon. We offer organized classes or activities each day as well as opportunities for conversation and individual projects. Peers helping other peers happens every day, and we value the group wisdom.

Art therapy, art activities, writing groups, and NAMI Connection Support Group continue to be well attended. New offerings include a crocheting class and a Whole Health Class led by Jessica Tull of the Richmond Center. We hope with the cooler Fall weather more attendees will take advantage of our neighboorhood maps for walking with a buddy. Peers have also led sessions on mindfulness, humor is healthy, and several craft projects.

For those who like numbers, more than 35 different individuals have visited the center. Average daily attendance is about 10, and while most of our visitors are from Story County, we also have regular attendees from Polk and Boone counties.Volunteers log about 50 hours a week helping to set up, clean up, greet visitors, and lead activities and classes.

Thank you to all who have offered your time, material support, encouragement, and/or suggestions. The center could not have happened without you.

Garage Sale 2011

NAMI Central Iowa had another successful garage sale under the leadership of Fran Berger. The sale itself raised $1779.00, and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans added a $593.00 grant, bringing the total raised to $2372.00. The money raised for NAMI Central Iowa is the main goal for the sale, but there are benefits for others as well. Leftover items were donated to St. Andrews Lutheran Church for an outreach project, and to the Ames Public Library. Plus, those who worked the sale benefitted from lots of good NAMI-style fellowship and support. Thanks to everyone who contributed in any way!

Mental Health Wellness Center Opens

The Mental Health Wellness Center has recently opened. All of NAMI-CI's support groups, peer activities, and educational classes will be located under one roof, at least for the next six months. Trinity Christian Reformed Church is sharing their fellowship hall and kitchen with NAMI-CI on weekday afternoons.

Current activities will be expanded to include additional creative opportunities such as neddlecrafts and wellness programs on exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness. We are looking forward to welcoming our new participants and sharing the space with the Richmond Center for their Outreach programs.

Volunteers power NAMI-CI and it will take many hands to keep the Wellness Center operating smoothly. Volunteers will greet visitors, lead groups, plan the monthly calendar, teach new skills, set-up, and clean up.

The Wellness Center is located at Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 3626 Ontario Street, Ames, IA 50014(click for directions) and is open from 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. on Monday through Friday.