NAMI Arizona - National Alliance on Mental Illness of Arizona
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History
In 1979, a small group of families from all over the country met in Madison, Wisconsin, and
decided to rise above the overwhelming stigma of mental illness. They voted to start an
organization to be known as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) – its purpose to
improve the lives of their mentally ill family members and other sufferers. One of the persons
attending the meeting was Mike Marcotic of Tempe who had already started an organization
named the Mental Health Advocates Coalition of Arizona (MHACA).
Meanwhile, also in 1979, Jan Depka, a psychiatric nurse at the old Westside Mental Health Project
(Phoenix) run by Jack Harvey, started a family support group at the request of a number of families
in the West Valley. When Jan Depka was transferred to the Maricopa County Hospital on
Roosevelt, the group moved along with her. Both Jan Depka’s group and MHACA held meetings
the same night at the County Hospital and it wasn’t long before some members of MHACA, which
emphasized political advocacy and changing the system, also began attending Jan Depka’s group
for the emotional support and education they needed.
Word of the founding of NAMI finally reached Arizona, and in 1982 MHACA was approached with a
$5,000.00 check by Cheryl Fanning of the Community Support Project of the Division of Behavioral
Health Services. Having heard about NAMI, Cheryl Fanning was determined to start an Arizona AMI
and turned to the families in MHACA to sponsor the project. Some members of the MHACA Board
were reluctant to become associated with a national group for fear of losing their autonomy and
their grass roots status. Several of the other Board members, however, felt that founding a state
affiliate of NAMI was of great importance and volunteered to undertake the task. Alexa Freese took
charge of planning the program and Frances Peterson took charge of the business/financial end
of the Conference.
FAMILIES—NOW IT’S OUR TURN! was the inspired (?) name of the Conference held on May 6 – 8,
1983, at the Safari Ramada Inn in Scottsdale. Helen Teisher and Pat Williams of the California
AMI were our inspiring keynote speakers. Pat Williams is still running her innovative housing
project in Central California and Helen Teisher just died recently after serving as President of CAMI
for many years. About 200 people from all over the state came to the Conference. It was amazing
to meet a whole roomful of Arizonans who had known exactly the same pain we had felt and,
because of the Conference, were feeling the same hope for the future that we were experiencing.
Then the fun began! A steering committee representing all areas of the state was formed and
started holding meetings—in Tucson, in Phoenix, and lots of halfway meetings in Casa Grande.
We debated over everything—dues, membership requirements, terms of office and all the other
details of a fledgling organization until finally we had completed the Articles of Incorporation and
the Bylaws and we were in business.
The first official meeting of the Arizona Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AAMI) was held on November 5,
l983, at the Aztec Inn in Tucson with delegates from each of the groups attending:: MHACA, AMI of
Southern Arizona (AMISA), Family AMI (FAMI) which was the name Jan’s group chose, plus many
other small groups from around the state. Nationally, AMISA was the 4th group and FAMI the 5th
group in the country to join the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill as affiliates. We elected Nancy
Masland of Tucson as our first President. That year Nancy had attended the first NAMI Conference
in St. Louis and had promptly been elected to the NAMI Board. Margaret Walsh, FAMI’s President
was elected Treasurer. In succeeding years, Ken Mounkes, Bob Richter, and Julie Schultz were
elected to the Presidency and served one or two years.
Over the next six or seven years, AAMI struggled along with no ready source of income except dues
and donations from our own pockets. AMISA was able to set up their own office in Tucson and
publish a very professional newsletter, but groups in the Phoenix area were rather fragmented.
AAMI didn’t have an office; each elected officer had his/her own files and library in a cardboard box
at home. We had a telephone with call forwarding installed in the President’s home so we could
take turns answering crisis calls. We took day trips around the state to try to work up enthusiasm
for forming affiliates and put out a rather amateurish newsletter for about 150 people. Community
Support Project funded several state meetings. Most of us were still working full time and had very
limited time to devote to AAMI. In 1988 a local agency providing mental health services agreed to
pay AAMI members for going out to sites and making “quality assurance” inspections. In a few
years we earned about $7500.00 and donated our earnings to AAMI.
The next segment in the evolution of AAMI might be called THE INVIGORATION. Remember,
during the previous eight years or so we had all been growing older and grayer. Suddenly two very
assertive, non-employed family members joined AAMI and they were both ten or fifteen years
YOUNGER than the rest of us! They rejuvenated all of us. They had started the North Valley
Alliance for the Mentally Ill; Sue Gilbertson went on to found MIKID, filling a long time need for
families with mentally ill children. Sue Davis took AAMI under her wing. She approached the
Superintendent of the State Hospital and persuaded him to rent us a house on the fringe of the
state hospital grounds for $l a year. We volunteers cleaned it up and deodorized it—it had
previously been a Crisis Nursery—furnished it with the telephone company’s discarded office
furniture we found stored outdoors and covered with mud, spiders, and other noxious animals.
Members donated a refrigerator, curtains, 50 plastic chairs, coffee pots, typewriters and numerous
other things. Now we had a well furnished (well, furnished) office: a reception room, a large
meeting room with the 50 donated chairs, a library to which we all donated our stored books and
papers, four offices, two bathrooms and a 1948 style kitchen. WOW!
Sue Davis then approached the State Department of Health and told them that they needed a
Mental Illness Information and Family Center, and that we were the people to do it. They not only
agreed, they gave us $35,000.00 a year to run the Center. We were able to start hiring some part-
time help. It was wonderful for those of us who had been volunteering 20 to 30 hours a week at
the office to know that there was an employee at all times to answer the crisis calls.
In the meantime the Phoenix Alliance for the Mentally Ill (PAMI), the East Valley Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (EVAMI), the Sedona Alliance for the Mentally Ill (SAMI), the Sun City Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (SCAMI) and others around the state had been formed. Many members in the early
years were able to attend NAMI conferences because we were able to stay in college dormitories
for a pittance: UCLA (Irvine), Tulane in New Orleans, University of Colorado in Boulder. But the
Conference attendance grew too rapidly and we had to move to expensive hotels, which lessened
the number of families who could benefit from the great education we were getting at the NAMI
Conferences. So…
FAMILY EMPOWERMENT became increasingly important at the Center. The literally thousands of
phone calls received asking for help couldn’t be individually served. Through education, support
and supplying information to family callers, we were able to encourage them to become assertive
advocates for their ill relatives. AAMI advocated strongly for the use of new medications by Value
Options as they became available as well as improved treatment and living conditions for our
folks. Our most effective advocate, Sue Davis, served as President of AAMI for many years, then
was designated Executive Director. During this entire time she has refused payment and served
as a volunteer.
In 1998 we were told by the Arizona State Hospital that we would have to move to make way for the
new State Hospital to be built on our site. We stayed put until the workmen came by to remove our
doors and windows, then reluctantly moved to our new location on 7th street. We now have two full
time employees and several part-timers plus a group of wonderful volunteers (more volunteers
always welcome) and have grown to love our new home (except for the parking lot). We have
grown from a state membership of a few hardy souls to well over a thousand in 2003. AAMI has
trained numerous instructors and facilitators throughout the state to educate families with adult
mentally ill members and those with mentally ill children; they have trained consumers to teach
other consumers about their illnesses and to facilitate support groups for their peers. Informative
presentations are held throughout the year to keep both families and consumers up-to-date.
Originally NAMI seemed primarily interested in families, leaving the care of consumers to the
professionals. Over the years, however, inclusion of consumers into NAMI and AAMI has
increased enormously.
Recognizing that three groups scattered in the Phoenix area were probably two too many, PAMI,
NVAMI and FAMI decided to merge in the Spring of 2000. The result was NAMI Phoenix, now
numbering close to 400 members. Since NAMI has decreed that all the affiliates must have “NAMI”
in their names, SCAMI has changed to NAMI West Valley and stretches from Glendale to
Wickenburg; EVAMI is now NAMI East Valley; AMISA is now NAMISA. Other NAMI’s are in Yuma,
Sierra Vista, Sedona, Prescott and Flagstaff. Soon, NAMI Southeast Valley (NAMI SEV) became a
new affiliate. AAMI would soon begin its name change to NAMI Arizona.
NAMI Arizona begun holding the "Mystery Authors Benefit Luncheon" every late October (beginning
in 2000) to raise awareness, raise funds, and to gather together the affiliate and their members
(as well as guests and visitors) from across the state. This event has been a great success and
great fun, featuring great mystery authors, wonderful food, an amazing silent auction, fantastic
raffle prizes, and more. In 2005, at the luncheon, a saxophone of former President Bill Clinton was
auctioned off in a live auction. "Mystery Authors Benefit Luncheon" has been a great success
thanks to the many volunteers spending many hours helping to put on such a great event.
Executive Director Sue Davis retired from her position. For over a year, H. Clarke Romans,
Executive Director of NAMISA, traveled between Tuscon and Phoenix to fulfill the duties of executive
director for both NAMISA and NAMI Arizona.
In April 2005, NAMI Arizona participated in its first NAMI WALKS to raise funds for the organization
and awareness about mental illness. Held at the state capitol, the event was a great success
thanks to the many volunteers and walkers that participated that day. Walkers came from every
affiliate, across the entire state; members, as well as guests, visitors, and friends, walked the
route in their support of NAMI Arizona and its effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
In July, 2005, Cheryl Weiner was hired as the new Executive Director of NAMI Arizona. In 2006,
Mary Robson would be hired as the new Executive Director of NAMI Arizona. The challenge to grow
and excel continues! STAY TUNED.
decided to rise above the overwhelming stigma of mental illness. They voted to start an
organization to be known as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) – its purpose to
improve the lives of their mentally ill family members and other sufferers. One of the persons
attending the meeting was Mike Marcotic of Tempe who had already started an organization
named the Mental Health Advocates Coalition of Arizona (MHACA).
Meanwhile, also in 1979, Jan Depka, a psychiatric nurse at the old Westside Mental Health Project
(Phoenix) run by Jack Harvey, started a family support group at the request of a number of families
in the West Valley. When Jan Depka was transferred to the Maricopa County Hospital on
Roosevelt, the group moved along with her. Both Jan Depka’s group and MHACA held meetings
the same night at the County Hospital and it wasn’t long before some members of MHACA, which
emphasized political advocacy and changing the system, also began attending Jan Depka’s group
for the emotional support and education they needed.
Word of the founding of NAMI finally reached Arizona, and in 1982 MHACA was approached with a
$5,000.00 check by Cheryl Fanning of the Community Support Project of the Division of Behavioral
Health Services. Having heard about NAMI, Cheryl Fanning was determined to start an Arizona AMI
and turned to the families in MHACA to sponsor the project. Some members of the MHACA Board
were reluctant to become associated with a national group for fear of losing their autonomy and
their grass roots status. Several of the other Board members, however, felt that founding a state
affiliate of NAMI was of great importance and volunteered to undertake the task. Alexa Freese took
charge of planning the program and Frances Peterson took charge of the business/financial end
of the Conference.
FAMILIES—NOW IT’S OUR TURN! was the inspired (?) name of the Conference held on May 6 – 8,
1983, at the Safari Ramada Inn in Scottsdale. Helen Teisher and Pat Williams of the California
AMI were our inspiring keynote speakers. Pat Williams is still running her innovative housing
project in Central California and Helen Teisher just died recently after serving as President of CAMI
for many years. About 200 people from all over the state came to the Conference. It was amazing
to meet a whole roomful of Arizonans who had known exactly the same pain we had felt and,
because of the Conference, were feeling the same hope for the future that we were experiencing.
Then the fun began! A steering committee representing all areas of the state was formed and
started holding meetings—in Tucson, in Phoenix, and lots of halfway meetings in Casa Grande.
We debated over everything—dues, membership requirements, terms of office and all the other
details of a fledgling organization until finally we had completed the Articles of Incorporation and
the Bylaws and we were in business.
The first official meeting of the Arizona Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AAMI) was held on November 5,
l983, at the Aztec Inn in Tucson with delegates from each of the groups attending:: MHACA, AMI of
Southern Arizona (AMISA), Family AMI (FAMI) which was the name Jan’s group chose, plus many
other small groups from around the state. Nationally, AMISA was the 4th group and FAMI the 5th
group in the country to join the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill as affiliates. We elected Nancy
Masland of Tucson as our first President. That year Nancy had attended the first NAMI Conference
in St. Louis and had promptly been elected to the NAMI Board. Margaret Walsh, FAMI’s President
was elected Treasurer. In succeeding years, Ken Mounkes, Bob Richter, and Julie Schultz were
elected to the Presidency and served one or two years.
Over the next six or seven years, AAMI struggled along with no ready source of income except dues
and donations from our own pockets. AMISA was able to set up their own office in Tucson and
publish a very professional newsletter, but groups in the Phoenix area were rather fragmented.
AAMI didn’t have an office; each elected officer had his/her own files and library in a cardboard box
at home. We had a telephone with call forwarding installed in the President’s home so we could
take turns answering crisis calls. We took day trips around the state to try to work up enthusiasm
for forming affiliates and put out a rather amateurish newsletter for about 150 people. Community
Support Project funded several state meetings. Most of us were still working full time and had very
limited time to devote to AAMI. In 1988 a local agency providing mental health services agreed to
pay AAMI members for going out to sites and making “quality assurance” inspections. In a few
years we earned about $7500.00 and donated our earnings to AAMI.
The next segment in the evolution of AAMI might be called THE INVIGORATION. Remember,
during the previous eight years or so we had all been growing older and grayer. Suddenly two very
assertive, non-employed family members joined AAMI and they were both ten or fifteen years
YOUNGER than the rest of us! They rejuvenated all of us. They had started the North Valley
Alliance for the Mentally Ill; Sue Gilbertson went on to found MIKID, filling a long time need for
families with mentally ill children. Sue Davis took AAMI under her wing. She approached the
Superintendent of the State Hospital and persuaded him to rent us a house on the fringe of the
state hospital grounds for $l a year. We volunteers cleaned it up and deodorized it—it had
previously been a Crisis Nursery—furnished it with the telephone company’s discarded office
furniture we found stored outdoors and covered with mud, spiders, and other noxious animals.
Members donated a refrigerator, curtains, 50 plastic chairs, coffee pots, typewriters and numerous
other things. Now we had a well furnished (well, furnished) office: a reception room, a large
meeting room with the 50 donated chairs, a library to which we all donated our stored books and
papers, four offices, two bathrooms and a 1948 style kitchen. WOW!
Sue Davis then approached the State Department of Health and told them that they needed a
Mental Illness Information and Family Center, and that we were the people to do it. They not only
agreed, they gave us $35,000.00 a year to run the Center. We were able to start hiring some part-
time help. It was wonderful for those of us who had been volunteering 20 to 30 hours a week at
the office to know that there was an employee at all times to answer the crisis calls.
In the meantime the Phoenix Alliance for the Mentally Ill (PAMI), the East Valley Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (EVAMI), the Sedona Alliance for the Mentally Ill (SAMI), the Sun City Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (SCAMI) and others around the state had been formed. Many members in the early
years were able to attend NAMI conferences because we were able to stay in college dormitories
for a pittance: UCLA (Irvine), Tulane in New Orleans, University of Colorado in Boulder. But the
Conference attendance grew too rapidly and we had to move to expensive hotels, which lessened
the number of families who could benefit from the great education we were getting at the NAMI
Conferences. So…
FAMILY EMPOWERMENT became increasingly important at the Center. The literally thousands of
phone calls received asking for help couldn’t be individually served. Through education, support
and supplying information to family callers, we were able to encourage them to become assertive
advocates for their ill relatives. AAMI advocated strongly for the use of new medications by Value
Options as they became available as well as improved treatment and living conditions for our
folks. Our most effective advocate, Sue Davis, served as President of AAMI for many years, then
was designated Executive Director. During this entire time she has refused payment and served
as a volunteer.
In 1998 we were told by the Arizona State Hospital that we would have to move to make way for the
new State Hospital to be built on our site. We stayed put until the workmen came by to remove our
doors and windows, then reluctantly moved to our new location on 7th street. We now have two full
time employees and several part-timers plus a group of wonderful volunteers (more volunteers
always welcome) and have grown to love our new home (except for the parking lot). We have
grown from a state membership of a few hardy souls to well over a thousand in 2003. AAMI has
trained numerous instructors and facilitators throughout the state to educate families with adult
mentally ill members and those with mentally ill children; they have trained consumers to teach
other consumers about their illnesses and to facilitate support groups for their peers. Informative
presentations are held throughout the year to keep both families and consumers up-to-date.
Originally NAMI seemed primarily interested in families, leaving the care of consumers to the
professionals. Over the years, however, inclusion of consumers into NAMI and AAMI has
increased enormously.
Recognizing that three groups scattered in the Phoenix area were probably two too many, PAMI,
NVAMI and FAMI decided to merge in the Spring of 2000. The result was NAMI Phoenix, now
numbering close to 400 members. Since NAMI has decreed that all the affiliates must have “NAMI”
in their names, SCAMI has changed to NAMI West Valley and stretches from Glendale to
Wickenburg; EVAMI is now NAMI East Valley; AMISA is now NAMISA. Other NAMI’s are in Yuma,
Sierra Vista, Sedona, Prescott and Flagstaff. Soon, NAMI Southeast Valley (NAMI SEV) became a
new affiliate. AAMI would soon begin its name change to NAMI Arizona.
NAMI Arizona begun holding the "Mystery Authors Benefit Luncheon" every late October (beginning
in 2000) to raise awareness, raise funds, and to gather together the affiliate and their members
(as well as guests and visitors) from across the state. This event has been a great success and
great fun, featuring great mystery authors, wonderful food, an amazing silent auction, fantastic
raffle prizes, and more. In 2005, at the luncheon, a saxophone of former President Bill Clinton was
auctioned off in a live auction. "Mystery Authors Benefit Luncheon" has been a great success
thanks to the many volunteers spending many hours helping to put on such a great event.
Executive Director Sue Davis retired from her position. For over a year, H. Clarke Romans,
Executive Director of NAMISA, traveled between Tuscon and Phoenix to fulfill the duties of executive
director for both NAMISA and NAMI Arizona.
In April 2005, NAMI Arizona participated in its first NAMI WALKS to raise funds for the organization
and awareness about mental illness. Held at the state capitol, the event was a great success
thanks to the many volunteers and walkers that participated that day. Walkers came from every
affiliate, across the entire state; members, as well as guests, visitors, and friends, walked the
route in their support of NAMI Arizona and its effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
In July, 2005, Cheryl Weiner was hired as the new Executive Director of NAMI Arizona. In 2006,
Mary Robson would be hired as the new Executive Director of NAMI Arizona. The challenge to grow
and excel continues! STAY TUNED.
| NAMI Arizona 2210 N. 7th Street Phoenix, AZ 85006 602-244-8166 1-800-626-5022 Fax: 602-244-9264 Email: namiaz@namiaz.org 2006 |
| NAMI Arizona is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness |
| NAMI Arizona is a NIMH Outreach Partner |
| NAMI Arizona - Arizona's Voice on Mental Illness |
Mystery Authors Benefit
Luncheon
Luncheon