FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - The Southwestern Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI SWI) will host their annual Walk for Mental Health Awareness.
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On Sept. 20, 2025, at Moody Park in Fairview Heights, community members can come together for a walk that will raise money for NAMI SWI and their programs. Kaleigh Peery with NAMI SWI explained that the goal is to bring people together and start the conversation about mental health.
“I think that's really what NAMI is about. It’s just coming together and supporting one another,” Peery said. “The thing about mental illness is that it doesn't discriminate. We all either have experienced it or have had a loved one close to us experience it or have something traumatic that impacts your daily life. To have a day where you can come together and just know that everybody there has experienced something and can relate to what you felt or you’re feeling — coming together is healing.”
Check-in for the walk opens at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 and the walk itself begins at 10 a.m. There will be attendance prizes and a silent auction, as well as a scavenger hunt for kids. Community partners will be onsite with information about their services. Kids can enjoy a tie-dye stand, face-painting and more. Ticket prices also include a picnic lunch.
The Walk for Mental Health Awareness is the biggest fundraiser of the year for NAMI SWI. As an organization, NAMI SWI offers peer-led support groups and educational presentations at schools and businesses. The nonprofit serves Jersey, Bond, Clinton, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair and Greene Counties.
They recently moved to Riverbend Family Ministries in Wood River and hope to soon open a living room model walk-in service where people who are experiencing nonemergency mental health challenges can walk in and receive support.
“We’re just trying to give people in all situations the resources and know that we’re there and why we’re educating people,” Peery explained. “You’re not your diagnosis. I just want people to understand that NAMI is here to embrace you for who you are.”
While one goal of the walk is to raise money for NAMI SWI, the other aim is to bring people together and start conversations about mental health awareness. Peery hopes the people who come out for the walk on Sept. 20 realize that they’re not alone.
“That peer support, having those people you lean on, knowing that they’re there and knowing that you’re not alone, that there are other people out there that feel that same feeling or that understand that uncomfortable feeling that you thought only you felt — I think that is so important for people,” she added. “NAMI is about bringing up the conversation.”
Tickets to the walk cost $25 for adults and $5 for kids ages 12 and under. NAMI SWI is also looking for sponsorships for the event. For more information about the Walk for Mental Health Awareness, including how to get involved, click here or visit the official Facebook event page.
To learn more about NAMI SWI, check out their official website at NAMISWI.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
