We are pleased to report that our first fundraiser was a GREAT success! On November 16 in Billings, Montana, the Family Support Foundation for Mental Illness and Cellular One hosted a special benefit event for NAMI-Montana and the Meghann Eckerdt family.
Our event included lunch, holiday gift shopping, a silent auction, a live auction, and a performance by country music star Dustin Wilkes. Speakers included Jonathan Foxman, President and CEO of Cellular One and Executive Director of the Family Support Foundation for Mental Illness; Dr. Gary Mihelish, President of NAMI-Montana; Captain Adam Karlin of the Montana Army National Guard, and manager of its Post Deployment Cycle Support program; and Meghann Eckerdt, who bravely shared her story of coping with anorexia and OCD.
It really was a great event. Most importantly, we accomplished what we set out to do:
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we raised over $50,000 to support NAMI-Montana and to help the Eckerdt family with their unreimbursed mental healthcare expenses;
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we created greater awareness for the need to support individuals and families coping with mental illness; and
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we took another step important toward eliminating the unwarranted and hurtful stigma that still surrounds mental illness today.
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