On Thursday, April 29 from 6 to 8 p.m., NAMI will host their annual Stomp Out Stigma event at Union University by the bell tower. The event is a 5K run and 1 mile walk, and students who participate are welcome to run or walk at their own pace.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, also known as NAMI, is a student organization on campus that wants to educate students on mental health and to serve as a promoter for mental health services.
This will be the fifth time NAMI has hosted Stomp Out Stigma. Since April is stress awareness month and May is mental awareness month, the organization decided to host this event now.
The Stomp Out Stigma event has the support of NAMI, the School of Social Work, and Counseling services.
“We want to raise awareness of the need to stomp out stigma or shame related to discussing feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, etc.,” said NAMI’s faculty advisor and associate professor of social work Tammy Patton. “Having a mental illness or condition is not a weakness. We treat medical health conditions, so why not mental health conditions or needs?”
This event will help raise awareness of mental illness and will encourage a supportive, open environment for those suffering from mental illness. NAMI hopes that events like Stomp Out Stigma will help people not feel alone.
“You are not alone in the burdens you may carry,” said Patton. “Let us help one another in our culture of care on campus.”
Students can register for Stomp Out Stigma online at Union University’s events page. Registration will be open online until the day of the run, and there will also be a registration table at the event for people to sign up if they want to participate.
“Especially as Christians, we have the obligation and joy to walk with and love those who are hurting, and this includes mental illness,” said senior social work major and president of NAMI, Juliana White. “We have to talk about it so that people can have the love, health and support they need.”
