History

NAMI Tallahassee is the local affiliate of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) serving Leon and surrounding counties. Founded in 1979, the national organization has become the leading voice on mental illness. NAMI includes over 1,200 affiliates in every state who join together to meet the NAMI mission through support, advocacy, education, and research for people with mental illness, their families and friends.

Incorporated locally in 1989, NAMI-Tallahassee sponsors educational programs; support groups including, Connection for peer support and a separate family group; the Family-to-Family Education program; Sharing Hope for African American congregations and organizations; NAMI Basics, a 6-week education program for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illnesses; Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement (CIT) and Ending the Silence, a 50-minute education program designed for high school classes.

The Bluebird Run/Walk for Brookie B, held each year on Labor Day since 2015, is the affiliate’s primary fundraising event. Gifts received from community sponsors help support NAMI-Tallahassee’s signature programs and raise awareness for suicide prevention as a community priority. The Bluebird Run also offers major support to the Loss Team of the Big
Bend (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors.)

NAMI-Tallahassee is located at 1713 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee in the Florida Therapy Services building, with hours by appointment (850.841.3386). We are an all-volunteer organization with no professional staff. Through dues and fund-raising, we support these programs.

For many years, the affiliate chose to operate under the umbrella of NAMI Florida as a 501 C3 non-profit. In 2015, NAMI-Tallahassee filed the required IRS documentation and obtained independent non-profit status, an option for all NAMI local affiliates – ref. IRS Letter of Determination.