The Pilot, April 9, 2010
NAMI-Moore County to Host Nighttime Golf Tournament
A hole in one at 9PM?
NAMI-MC Sponsors Night Golf Tournament with $1,000 Prize
By Claudia Watson
March 23, 2010, Pinehurst, NC – What are the chances of winning the bragging rights for a hole in one at 9:00 p.m? Well, unless you try, you’ll never know. NAMI-Moore County will host the inaugural “Out of the Darkness…Comes Light,” charity golf tournament, Saturday, May 22, at Little River Golf & Resort.
The night time golf event will consist of 18 holes, with nine holes played during the afternoon followed by a Southern pig pickin’ party. After the sun goes down players will use Night-Flyer golf balls and be challenged by a golf course lighted only by special equipment and the moon and stars.
“The name of this event reflects the darkness so many individuals with a brain illness and their families experience due to the stigma surrounding these illnesses,” says Marianne Kernan, president of NAMI-Moore County. “Our hope is to shed light on the myths while bringing awareness to our community of these serious illnesses.”
According to Kernan, space is limited for this special event, with a field of 72 players expected. Serious and non-competitive golfers of any age will enjoy the variety of contests and prizes including a $1,000 tournament grand prize.
In addition, there will be cash prizes for the men’s and women’s longest drive, closest to the pin and putting contests.
Golf poker cards will be offered and winners may select from various prizes, including pottery, meals at local restaurants and artwork.
The entry fee is $250 per person and includes registration, greens fee, cart and dinner. The tax deductible portion of the event is $100. A dinner only option is $40 per person. All players will receive gift bags. NAMI members receive a ten percent discount. In addition, Little River Golf & Resort is offering a special lodging rate for the event.
Proceeds of the event will benefit the Linden Lodge, an adult care home in our area that offers independent living for residents with brain disorders.
“Linden Lodge receives no local, state or federal funds so we need to ask our community to help us improve the quality of life for those affected by severe and persistent brain disorders,” says Betsy Faulkner, fundraising chair for NAMI-Moore County. “We offer our thanks to all those who are stepping up and assisting some of the most vulnerable in our community.”
Businesses and individuals can view sponsorship and participation opportunities for the golf tournament at www.NAMI-MooreCounty.org , or by contacting Betsy Faulkner, 910-215-1053.
National Alliance on Mental Illness-Moore County (NAMI-Moore County) is a registered non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization and donations are tax exempt to the extent allowed by IRS and federal law.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1100 state and local affiliates that engage in research, education, support and advocacy.
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The Pilot, January 8, 2010
Nursing Students Help Linden Lodge
A newspaper article about Linden Lodge, an adult care home that offers independent living for residents who have brain disorders and mental illness, caught the eye of Dianna Moss, associate professor of nursing at Sandhills Community College.
At the time, she was teaching a psychiatric mental health nursing course at the college.
Moss immediately thought that this could be an opportunity to bring the real world into the classroom. She invited Laura Gingerich, vice president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Moore County (NAMI-MC), to talk to her students.
Linden Lodge does not use local, state or federal funds. Its income comes from donations and NAMI-MC fundraising efforts.
Gingerich's presentation inspired the second-year nursing students to coordinate a fundraiser for the facility. The Student Association of Nursing at Sandhills Community College (SANS) with adviser Heather Cox, associate professor, raised $1,000 in the three-month-long effort.
"It's one thing to read about it in a book and quite another to hear personal experiences," said Alexandra Morrison, who will be graduating in May. "We were moved to make a difference in our community. It is our hope that SANS will make an annual commitment to help Linden Lodge."
SCC, meanwhile, encourages local residents to consider nursing for a career. By 2020, there will be an estimated shortage of 800,000 nurses, according to the college.
SCC offers an associate's degree in nursing, a diploma in practical nursing and a nursing assistant program. Anyone needing more information about the nursing programs at SCC can visit the college's Web site at www.sandhills.edu. Anyone needing more information about college credit programs can call (910) 695-3725.
The Pilot - January 8, 2010 in The Public Speaks |
Not Just Animals in Need of Help
I grew up with horses, dogs, cats, birds -- even a billy goat. I love animals and the thought of someone abusing our wonderful yellow Lab, Jake, by neglecting him brings tears to my eyes. Seeing all those TV ads showing the uncared for and sick animals is truly heartbreaking. While recently watching one of those commercials, I picked up a magazine lying on my coffee table. The article in it led me to tears. It was written by someone with a mental illness, and the gist of it was that folks in his hometown didn't seem to understand the illness, the stigma and the sense of not belonging. Now that broke my heart because it is so true! Why is it that in our wonderful Sandhills community, we will support programs for needy animals but turn our heads when it comes to helping those with a brain illness who wander the streets? They don't have a home to go to, no medical care except the ER when things are really bad, or anyone to listen to them as they tell their stories. As much as I am an animal lover, we need to give more attention to some of our two-legged individuals in pain. They, too, have feelings and medical conditions they did not ask for or deserve and a society that does not seem to care about many of their needs. Those with a mental illness deserve at least as good care as our beloved pets and definitely deserve a place to call home. While there are so many in need in so many ways, I feel none suffer more than someone with a mental illness with no help in sight. Please contact NAMI-MC to see how you can help. Marianne Kernan President, NAMI-MC Kernan Receives State NAMI Award
BY ELLEN AIRS: SPECIAL TO THE PILOT
Marianne Kernan, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-Moore County, received the Advocate of the Year award at NAMI's recent statewide conferenin Raleigh. NAMI North Carolina says this award is given to an individual who has had a "significant impact on the lives of people living with mental illness and their families in a local community." Since arriving in Moore County six years ago, Kernan has served as treasurer, vice president and now president of NAMI Moore County. In 2005, she bid on and won the right to host NAMI's national medical director, Dr. Ken Duckworth. His talk at Sandhills Community College drew more than 350 attendees. In 2006, she initiated the annual Pathway to Awareness weekend, which has hosted national speakers on brain illnesses and has been its co-chair for the last four years. Sunday's events include a two-hour session of "Ask the Psychiatrist," a book signing, a short walk with posters of famous people who suffer from brain disorders, and the launching of hundreds of helium balloons bought in honor or in memory of a loved one. A number of attached cards are returned yearly as far away as Wilmington from the east or Wadesboro and into South Carolina to the west and south, telling their own stories of connections to mental illness. Kernan also has been the biggest fundraiser for the organization. Through her efforts, the local affiliate has purchased Linden Lodge, an adult care home, which is only the second one in the county for those suffering from a brain disorder. For the last two years, she has co-taught three Family-to-Family classes (80 students) of 11 weeks each, when no one else volunteered to offer this valuable course to families. Other initiatives have included hosting biannual parties for NAMI families and loved ones, which began at her home during the summer gatherings. Kernan researched, and with board approval, purchased "Field of Hope" garden flags of irises to sell and display honorariums and memorials to loved ones. She started NAMI Moore County's Web site, which gives updated info on the many activities of the local affiliate. In addition to implementing all these initiatives and tasks of the various offices Kernan has held, she still answers the NAMI-MC hotline daily for several months a year, hosts the support meetings more than any other person, and "is there for anybody who needs support, education and advocacy for themselves or their loved one," a spokesman said. Kernan has said many times: "I can't change or cure my son's schizophrenia, but I can work to improve his quality of life and those just like him. Maybe one day there will be a cure, but until then, I want to help our loved ones lead fulfilling and respected lives." Anyone needing more information on monthly meetings and various educational programs of NAMI Moore County, call (910) 295-1053 or visit its Web site, http://www.nami-moorecounty.org. |
As Appeared in The Pilot in June 2009
Letter to the Editor
Submitted by Marianne Kernan
Once again, it was with much personal sadness that I read the article in The Pilot June 10, 2009 edition about the suicide of William Andrew Jordan while in the Moore County Jail in August 2007. While I can only imagine the tremendous sense of loss and desperation of Daryl Jordan and Lisa Lynch, the parents, I do know that the staff of the Moore County Jail is truly remorseful about the loss of their son. After learning of this suicide, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – Moore County, purchased both suicide blankets and robes for use in the Moore County Jail. As a non-profit organization of volunteers and many having loved ones with a mental illness, it touched our hearts when we learned of the parents’ loss and what have must been their great sense of grief. It is for that reason that we purchased for the Moore County Jail these items that will, hopefully, prevent such occurrences in the future. If only the general public realized how common cases of suicide attempts, some successful and some not, are among the general population and our young people. Suicide is now the eighth-leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years. Scary, isn’t it!
If you have concerns about your loved one or someone that you know, please contact NAMI-MC at (910) 295-1053 for support and a listing of local resources. Together we can make a difference!
Marianne Kernan
President, NAMI-MC
NAMI-MC STANDS UP
AGAINST CHARLOTTE OBSERVER'S TASTELESS CARTOON
GEORGE REYNOLD'S RETALIATION WAS PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8TH
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU GEORGE!
Hurtful images reinforce stigma the mentally ill battle
Observer cartoon crosses line from accurate, responsible journalism.
Posted: Wednesday, Apr. 08, 2009
From George E. Reynolds Jr., a member of the boards of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Moore County in Pinehurst and the Sandhills Center for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities & Substance Abuse Services in Seven Lakes:
This article is in response to the outrageous editorial cartoon by Kevin Siers published in the Charlotte Observer on April 2.
The cartoon depicts a man holding a rifle across his chest. The words “Easy GUN Access” are on the stock and a large lighted match is coming out of the barrel.
The flame from the end of the match is lighting a fuse coming out of the man's head, which is shaped like a bomb. The words on the bomb say “Mental Illness.” The title of the cartoon on charlotteobserver.com is “Local Terrorist” and a caption within the cartoon says “American Suicide Bomber.”
My perception is that this cartoon refers to the tragedy at the Pinelake Nursing Home in Carthage March 29. There's no evidence that the assailant was ever diagnosed with a mental illness. Even if he was, there's no justification for this cartoon.
A false inference
This cartoon is hurtful and insensitive to those with family members or friends that suffer with a brain disease. It is false to infer that everyone who suffers from a severe, persistent mental illness is a “Local Terrorist” and an “American Suicide Bomber.” The Observer and Siers crossed the line from responsible journalism.
The way people with mental illness are treated is terrible. It's based on a lack of education, understanding and empathy and leads to discrimination in how they are treated by the media, the public and in jails, prisons and hospitals.
Unfortunately, there is an enormous stigma associated with mental illness. A lot of that is generated by the way the media reports the many tragedies that involve people with or without a mental illness who commit horrendous crimes. You can see this in the tragic headlines about people who commit such crimes, the editorial cartoons, the jokes on TV and movies' portrayal of the mentally ill in a humorous way.
This is not a problem for other diseases. If any other class of people were treated this way there would be a public outcry. However, when it comes to people who suffer with brain diseases, all you can hear is the fear and laughter. Real stories about real mental health issues can help.
Be an advocate
The Charlotte Observer and other media can be a powerful advocate for the mentally ill, ensuring that mental health reform actually provides people with a better quality of life, not just another dumping ground. They can help to generate the necessary commitment of resources, locally and nationally, to ensure the safety and well being of people suffering with mental illnesses. Brain diseases can be controlled and in some cases cured with the proper treatment and support.
The Charlotte Observer has helped set back the gains made in confronting a hurtful public stigma. The Observer's editorial board owes the public – and those who suffer mental illness – an apology.
Feedback offers persons or groups criticized in Observer editorials, columns or news stories an opportunity to respond.
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