by Emalee Gillis, NAMI Spokane Blog Editor
NAMI Spokane’s Sip & Support Fundraiser will be a fun event that offers opportunities to connect with others and support our local NAMI office. Live music will fill the air. Guests will be treated to heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts catered by Beacon Hill Catering.
There will be opportunities to taste wines from the local Barrister Winery. Participants will have the chance to learn more about NAMI Spokane. Perhaps most important of all, the event will allow guests to build community with others interested in mental health.
Jamie Valdez, who is on the fundraising committee for NAMI Spokane, said “We were lucky to get Kristi Morris as MC. She will be awesome. Kristi has a passion for mental health and she is a lot of fun.”
There will also be a silent auction at the event. Guests will have the chance to bid on many items including a stay at a condo in Dover Bay for a weekend, a tasting at Veno Wine, tickets to Spokane Velocity and Zephyr (the local soccer teams), ticket to Gonzaga Men’s basketball, tickets to the Spokane Symphony, and many other fun items.
Valdez has donated her time to help organize this event because “I believe in NAMI Spokane and the work that they are doing. Their support groups for families and individuals are valuable resources in our community. Since I work with Inland Northwest Behavioral Health, we really utilize NAMI Spokane services. They are a great partner in the community.”
According to Valdez, this is the first time NAMI Spokane organized a fundraiser at a winery. “The organizers wanted to do something new and different,” she said. “We wanted something intimate and focused on mental health. We wanted to bring people together. This will be a unique and meaningful event.”
The event also offers opportunities for sponsorships. Inland Northwest Behavioral Health is a gold sponsor and Katie Thew with the Unconditional Love Fund and Baker Construction are silver sponsors. There is still time to become a sponsor by contacting Chauntelle Lieske, the Executive Director of NAMI Spokane, at chauntelle@namispokane.org.
Tickets to the event are $100 and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, dessert, two glasses of wine or soda, the chance to learn about and support NAMI Spokane, and to build community. Tickets can be purchased here. The event will take place on Thursday, November 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the Barrister Winery, 1213 West Railroad Ave, Spokane.
“I am excited to support NAMI Spokane and see their programs grow,” said Valdez.
Jamie Valdez is the Director of Business Development for Inland Northwest Behavioral Health. She also serves on the NAMI Spokane Fundraising Committee.
Emalee Gillis is a writer and blog editor. She is the author of the memoir Adventures on the Path to Living Well with a Mental Illness and has a related TEDx Talk.