Since its founding in 1979, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) stands as one of the nation’s leading advocates to improve the quality of life of people suffering through mental illness. NAMI maintains approximately 600 chapters nationwide, including a Southwest Ohio chapter that’s existed since the 1980s and encompasses Hamilton, Clinton, Butler and Warren counties.
Sara Hughes, who serves as NAMI Southwest Ohio’s (SWOH) marketing and communications manager, has long been an advocate for mental health treatment and advocacy after seeing a family member’s struggles, and was attracted to her role at NAMI because it resonated with both her passion for supporting this vulnerable population and her communication and technical skills.
As the prioritization of resources shifts drastically under President Trump’s administration, NAMI Southwest Ohio is forced to pivot to meet community needs. Hughes emphasized that, as part of the administration’s dismantling of DEI provisions, the mental-health needs of the region’s LGBTQia+ community are especially vulnerable.
“The government will be stopping funding to support the LGBTQ population for the 988 support and crisis hotline, so NAMI will be stepping up to help fund services for this community,” she said. “And, as Medicare and Medicaid funding faces threats, there is likely to be greater strain on supplying mental-health services that require assistance from non-governmental organizations.”
Other initiatives that NAMI SWOH undertakes include a help line that helps connect people with valuable services and programs such as:
- Ending the Silence, which educates students about the signs of mental illness and how to help themselves and classmates
- In Our Own Voice, which allows individuals with mental-health challenges to tell their own stories
- Sharing Our Hope, a program targeting mental-health needs for people of color
- CIT training, which helps law-enforcement professionals engage people undergoing mental-health challenges
- and ongoing classes and support groups that provide essential services free of charge to diverse populations
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Waiting to cross the NAMIWalks starting line.
To help fund these and other initiatives, NAMI SWOH will be staging a 5K walk at 10 a.m. at Sawyer Point on Saturday, May 10, as part of a
nationwide effort to raise funds and awareness of the burgeoning need for mental-health services. The event represents its largest single annual fundraiser, with a fundraising goal of $200,000, which is approximately 10% of its annual operating budget, Hughes said. As of the morning of April 25, NAMI SWOH had reached 63% of its financial goal and recruited nearly 800 participants.
“In addition to the financial contributions, it’s an important opportunity for us to raise awareness,” she said. “A lot of people will see us walking along the riverfront and learn about the role NAMI plays in the community.”
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Charlie HarperNAMI SWOH Executive Director, Katie Harper, at NAMIWalks Opening Ceremony.“Looking at the mental health landscape in 2025 realistically, it’s impossible to care too much about affordable and accessible care,” said Katie Harper, Executive Director of NAMI Southwest Ohio. “The success we have in bringing help and hope to an individual is felt absolutely everywhere.”
According to NAMI, one in five people in the U.S. will suffer from mental illness, and the need has become increasingly acute. Hughes noted that NAMI SWOH served 18,000 individuals during 2024, and that through mid-April, its client tally had already reached approximately 6,000 people this year, indicating an unwanted upward trend.
“In economically challenging times, enrolling in mental-health classes and support groups can fall down the priority list when you’re just trying to put food on the table,” Hughes said. “And yet, times of increasing economic and social challenges drive greater need for mental-health services, so it’s more important than ever to have the funding to build and maintain these essential programs.”
One new program NAMI SWOH has unveiled this year was Welcome To Our Table, which brought people passionate about food and mental health to
Nolia Kitchen in OTR for a food tasting and to hear chef Jeff Harris discuss his own mental-health journey. Another partnership NAMI SWOH is pursuing and seeking funding to bolster would align with
The Well, a Cincinnati organization that promotes holistic wellbeing through therapeutic arts, music, and fitness activities.
Several Cincinnati companies and organizations are serving as NAMI SWOH Walk sponsors, including TriHealth as the presenting sponsor; premier sponsors US Bank and Pathway to Peace; the Patricia and Jessica Lutz Foundation, as well as three additional gold, eight silver, and 16 bronze sponsors.
People who want to participate in the rain-or-shine NAMI Walk can visit
NAMIWalks Southwest Ohio. Attendees are encouraged to use the north entrance to Sawyer Point near Kellogg Circle. Registration opens at 9 a.m. with a 9:45 a.m. opening ceremony. The event is pet-friendly and handicap-accessible. There is no registration fee, but fundraising by participants is highly encouraged. Participants raising at least $100 receive an event T-shirt.
What: NAMIWalks Southwest Ohio
Where: Sawyer Point Park, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH, 45202
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Time: Registration opens 9 a.m., walk begins at 10 a.m.
RSVP: Register and/or donate at namiwalks.org.
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