NAMI Kane County North opens office in Ecker Professional Plaza

NAMI Kane County North recently announced the opening of an office in the Ecker Professional Plaza, 1845 Grandstand Place, Suite 206, Elgin, IL 60123.

Initially, office hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

NAMI Kane County North is an affiliate of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

This affiliate, which began as AMI in 1987, was started by four mothers who were concerned about the welfare of people with mental illness. The group held meetings at Sherman Hospital on the east side of Elgin.

As AMI's membership grew and it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meetings were held at the Dundee library. In 1993, the group moved its meeting location to Elgin Community College. In 1994, Ecker Center for Mental Health offered a room for meetings and support in their Grandstand Place location. In that same year, the group voted to change their name to NAMI Kane County. The group voted again, in 2011, to change their name to NAMI Kane County North, and meets there to this day, on the second Saturday of the month, except July. These meetings are open to the public.

NAMI Kane County North established its first Family Support Group in St. Charles in 1994, which is still offering education and support for families and friends of people with mental illness. This group meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at Congregational United Church of Christ, and is facilitated by NAMI KDK.

NAMI KC added the CARES group in 2005, a support group led by and for people with mental illness who were working toward recovery. In 2010, a Family Support Group was added to Elgin, held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at Presence St. Joseph Hospital. In 2014, another Family Support Group was added on the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Advocate Sherman Hospital, 1425 N. Randall Road, Elgin.

NAMI Kane County North's 11 state-trained teachers have taught 17 nationally acclaimed 12-week Family-to-Family Education Courses in our community, with approximately 340 graduates.

The next Family-to-Family course begins on Sept. 26, and running until Dec. 12, 2015. Look for the scheduling of a NAMI Basics class in the fall of 2015. This six-week program is for family members who have a child diagnosed with a mental illness before the age of 18.

NAMI Kane County North's mission statement is "to improve the quality of life for people with mental illness and their families through shared support, education in mental illness, support research and advocacy for improved mental health services."

"We work closely with other NAMI affiliates in the Chicago metro area, as well as Southern Kane County, DeKalb County, Kendall County, Northern Illinois, DuPage County and McHenry County," said Laurie Huske, board president of NAMI Kane County-North. "The strengths of all these affiliates are their volunteers, and their willingness to do what we can to share information, support and assistance to people with mental illness and their families."

NAMI's motto is "You are not alone."

If you would like more information about NAMI Kane County North, contact Laurie at (847) 695-7957 or visit www.nami.org or www.facebook.com/namikanecountynorth