NAMI Southwestern Illinois’ Rachel Marshall on the NAMI Walks and Free Mental Health Support
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – The Southwestern Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will host their first official NAMIWalks event.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, community members can join the event at Moody Park in Fairview Heights. The opening ceremony starts at 9 a.m. and the 1.5-mile walk kicks off at 9:30 a.m. There will be resources, live music, a kids’ zone, raffles, and more fun throughout the morning until 12:30 p.m.
“It is a walk to raise awareness about mental health and mental health conditions, and then also to help raise money for the services that we offer, because everything that we do is free,” said Rachael Marshall with NAMI SWI. “The biggest thing is that we just get out in the community. We’re trying to remove the stigma around mental health and mental health conditions.”
NAMI SWI has an office located in Wood River. They offer peer-led support groups, mental health classes, presentations in schools and workplaces, and more. Their goal is to support community members who have a mental health condition and their loved ones.
The NAMIWalks event is a major fundraiser that will allow the organization to do more throughout the Riverbend region. Marshall encourages everyone to come out, whether you decide to walk or simply to enjoy the fun.
NAMI SWI is also looking for volunteers to help during the event. They need people to assist with all of their programs, but Marshall is especially hopeful they can get a lot of people involved on Saturday, Oct. 10.
She highlighted that NAMI is a grassroots organization. All NAMI employees and most volunteers have lived experience with mental health or substance use challenges.
“We’re all approachable. We’ve all been there,” she said. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or anything like that. It’s people that understand what you’re going through.”
One of their major goals is to combat the stigma surrounding these challenges. Marshall believes that “normalizing talking about everything” is a major step in the right direction. Events like NAMIWalks allow people to start the conversation.
NAMI SWI also offers peer-led support groups and peer-to-peer classes to support community members who are struggling or have a loved one with a mental health condition. You can contact NAMI SWI for more information about these options, or if you’d like to learn more about bringing a NAMI presentation to your school or workplace.
Marshall encourages anyone who wants to engage with NAMI to reach out to info@namiswi.org. You can also visit the official NAMI SWI website for more information about their offerings. To learn more about the NAMIWalks event on Oct. 10, including how to register as a walker or how to volunteer, visit the official NAMIWalks webpage.
Marshall promises the event is “going to be a lot of fun,” and she hopes to welcome a big crowd of people who care about supporting their community and combating the stigma around mental health and substance use.
She added that you can call the crisis hotline at 988 for support anytime. NAMI SWI is also happy to connect you with local resources.
“You can always reach out to us,” she said. “We are more than happy to try and help you find resources. Everything we do is peer support, so it’s not clinical, but we have connections with a lot of different organizations, and we would help you find where you need to go.”
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
