ATLANTA — Nearly three years ago as an investigative reporter for 11Alive, I started researching the gaps in Georgia's mental and behavioral health system leading to child abandonment.
What I found was an alphabet soup of state agencies, financial limitations, and lack of mental health parity. I also found amazing organizations like NAMI Georgia helping families navigate the clutter and fight for change. NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
11Alive's research led to more than a dozen stories in a series we called #Keeping.
The title embodies the hopes of the parents we met on our journey, fighting to keep their child at home. Keep their child safe. Keep their child alive. It is on behalf of those parents who so bravely shared their stories and all the other families we know walking in the same footsteps, that I am participating in NAMIWalks Your Way 2022.
RELATED: Resources and how to help | Here's what you need to know about child mental health in Georgia
This event raises funds for NAMI’s free, top-rated programs at a time when we need it most. Lawmakers declared 2022 the year of mental health. But attention to the issue only revealed all the work yet to be done. If you would like to join me at the NAMI Walks Your Way event, Saturday, Oct. 15 click here to register or you can support 11Alive’s team as we commit to covering these important stories.
NAMI Walks Your Way is an opportunity to come together as a community, raise awareness about NAMI’s programs, and educate lawmakers on the gaps that still exist in our mental health care system.
I hope to see you Saturday.
11Alive's Rebecca Lindstrom is the chair of the event.
Event details
Location: Georgia Capitol - Liberty Plaza
262 Capitol Ave SE Atlanta
Parking directions
Parking map
Schedule of events:
9 a.m. - Walker check-in
10 a.m. - Opening ceremony
10:30 a.m. - Walk begins