An Iowa native, Tanna selected NIAMI because "their financing is not adequate to allow for the programs they offer providing education, support and encouragement free of charge to families and loved ones of those with a mental illness." Tanna's mother, a psychiatric nurse and psychiatric mental health teacher at a college in north Iowa, has been a past President and active member of NIAMI for 20 years.
Tanna's father has been on the Board of Directors of the North Iowa Transition Center for 24 years. Aconsultant pharmacist for the charity, he worked to create a medication self administration system that empowered clients to live independently by taking their medications regularly.
THE NORTH IOWA ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS
My mother is a psychiatric nurse and has been teaching psychiatric mental health nursing for over 20 years in a nursing program at a college in north Iowa. Thus I grew up being educated about mental illness and how mental illnesses are biochemical and neurobiological disorders. I also grew up keenly aware of the needs of those with a mental illness and being empathetic and concerned about them. I know that funding for the mentally ill is inadequate and that their needs are great.
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I chose NIAMI (NORTH IOWA ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS) to support financially because I believe that what they do to serve as advocates and support for those with a mental illness and their families is so important and also because my mother has been an active member of NIAMI for 20 years and has even served as president. NIAMI is an incredible organization that has both state affiliation (ALLIANCE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL OF IOWA-NAMI IOWA) and national affiliation (NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS-NAMI).
NIAMI presently has two free programs that it offers to families, parents, siblings and loved ones of those with a mental illness in order to provide education, support and encouragement. These programs have been very successful but also cost money to run. Since NIAMI is not-for-profit, it relies on memberships and donations for financing. That financing is not presently adequate to allow these 2 programs to be offered as often as they need to be. So I’m hoping I'll be able to raise enough money to help NIAMI continue these essential programs.
With 1 out of every 5 children and adults in the U.S. suffering from a diagnosable mental illness at some time in their lives, I feel a passion for this cause knowing that it could be me or someone that I love that could someday suffer from a mental illness.
About:
The North Iowa Alliance on Mental Illness (NIAMI) is a non-profit organization that serves as a support and advocacy group for individuals and families coping with mental, emotional or substance abuse difficulties. The governance board comes from these members and professionals with the intent that family members serve a major governing role.
MISSION OF NIAMI is threefold:
1) Support all legislation that benefits and advocates for those with a mental illness.
2) Educate the public about mental illness and decrease the stigma associated with it, and
3) Offer support by means of group meetings to share and extend encouragement to each other.
NIAMI is financed through annual memberships and donations.
Donations for NIAMI can also be sent to:
NIAMI
PO BOX 85
Mason City, IA 50402-0085
NORTH IOWA TRANSITION CENTER
My father has been on the North Iowa Transition Center Board of Directors for 24 years. Growing up I recognized the passion he had for improving the lives of those with a mental illness. As a consultant pharmacist for the North Iowa Transition Center, he actively worked to create a medication self administration system that empowered clients to take their medications regularly, thus giving them the ability to live independently in the community of their choice. He remains on the board today and continues to zealously advocate for rights of those with mental illness. I share the same passion as my father.
About:
The North Iowa Transition Center (NITC) is a non-profit organization governed by a volunteer community board. It is self-supporting through fees paid by local governments and state health insurance, on behalf of its consumers.
NITC began in 1979 to provide community-based services to individuals with a serious mental illness. The facility provides skilled professsional help for people who no longer require hospital care, as these individuals make the passage from hospital or facility living to full participation in the community.
MISSION: NITC is dedicated to improving the quality of life of persons with mental illness, their families, and the community.
The goal is to assist individuals in becoming self-sufficient, leading useful productive, independent lives in every day society.
North Iowa Transition Center
Please make a donation to support the North Iowa Transition Center
While Tanna Frederick has astonished critics who feel inspired after seeing her marathon performance on stage in Henry Jaglom’s “45 Minutes From Broadway,” she can also be seen on the beaches in Santa Monica when dodging paparazzi, surfing the oceans and practicing for the upcoming L.A. Marathon. She’s doing both to benefit other people. The co-founder of Project Save Our Surf tells Canyon News, “Every surfer knows the Santa Monica Bay is one of the dirtiest surf spots on the California coast. And there are always random pieces of trash floating by every day when we surf. After it rains, we can’t surf for 72 hours because of the sewage run off. And, I’ve seen surfers get sick in packs for days because of some toxin that was in the water. It’s sad, and it feels overwhelming, trying to create change when so much damage has been done to our oceans. But I felt I had to do something, so my friend Alex Winston and I created Project Save Our Surf and held a 24-hour Surf-A-Thon with proceeds going to the non-profit organization Oceana, rallying all the local surfers to raise money to help improve our delicate ecosystem. We’ve raised almost $120,000 for them in the last few years, and had amazing people come on board!”
I run about 50-60 miles per week, all the way up to lower Malibu and then all the way down to Venice. I train 6 times per week… Running for a Marathon is like rehearsing for a play, you just want to go over and over it again, so that you know at what point you need to drink, at what point you need to go to the bathroom. Such basic stuff. At what point does your body shut down. I just want to practice as much as I can, so that on the day of the Marathon, it’s like doing a show. This way I don’t get nervous and afraid of what am I going in for. I want to run it in a very fast time. I’m trying to finish it in 3:20 or 3:30 hours, so that I qualify for the Boston marathon.
Every one of us can suddenly be affected by an illness, whether it’s a physical or a mental one. And as it is with natural catastrophes or love, we don’t have control over everything, not even with positive thinking.