NAMI Hosts Open House & Celebration for Giving Challenge

March 27, 2024 – Sarasota

The public is invited to a 2024 Giving Challenge Open House & Celebration from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 9 at NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties’ You Are Not Alone (YANA) wellness drop-in location off Tuttle Avenue in Sarasota. Several organizations participating in the Giving Challenge will be providing information tables and activities for all ages.

The Open House & Celebration will feature engaging, hands-on activities, including stations for arts and crafts, painting, gardening, yoga and meditation sessions, a juggling lesson, and more. Local musicians are invited to bring their instruments and participate in an open jam session.

In addition to NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties, the event also will feature information and activities from the Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, Community Assisted Supported Living (CASL), Centerstone, Girl Scouts of the Gulfcoast, Meals on Wheels Sarasota, and the Women’s Resource Center. A food truck by the British Open Pub will be serving from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We wanted to offer a fun, engaging event for the public to come and learn more about us and our nearby partners as we all participate in the 2024 Giving Challenge,” said Colleen Thayer, executive director of NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties. “We are planning some exciting activities for all ages and hope people decide to stop by, enjoy some great food and have some fun.”

The 2024 Giving Challenge is from noon to noon on April 9-10, 2024 and is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation. The online fundraising event is designed to pair philanthropists with nonprofit organizations making a difference in the region.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Today, NAMI consists of more than 600 local affiliates, including NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties, that work in communities to raise awareness and provide support and education to those in need.

NAMI opened its You Are Not Alone (YANA) wellness drop-in center off Tuttle Avenue over two years ago to offer a safe space for its programs and a daily drop-in center for people on their journey to mental wellness. “The 2024 Giving Challenge gives us an opportunity to open our doors to the public so that they can see first-hand the work that we do to help those in our community,” Thayer said. “We hope that people will not only stop by and enjoy the festivities inside our parking lot and also come inside the building and participate in fun activities led by our wonderful staff and volunteers.”

For more information about the Open House and Celebration or about NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties and its programs, contact Katie Booth, YANA Operations Manager, at katie@namisarasotamanatee.org. For more information about the 2024 Giving Challenge, visit www.GivingChallenge.org.