The on-again, off-again drizzle of a Saturday afternoon did not stop our Tompkins County mental health campaigners. Not for a second.
Nearly 200 supporters participated in the fundraising walk for the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Ithaca’s Stewart Park on May 3, bringing in more than $34,000 for NAMI’s support and education programs.
The walk begins!
The annual NAMI Walks event drew 31 fundraising teams led by Buoyant Punk which collected $3,524, Together We Walk with another $3,065, and EACMSI & IHS with $2,343.
Two new teams surpassed the $1,000 mark: Moral Psych Superstars comprising students from Cornell University and Ithaca High School brought in $2,027; TC Legs—members of the Tompkins County Legislature—raised $1,775.
NAMI-FL Executive Director Sandra Sorensen was the No. 1 individual fundraiser, with $2,884. But she noted that the event is about far more than collecting donations.
NAMI-FL’s Sandra Sorensen, Kathy Taylor, and Matt Taylor
“People gather, connections are made, stories are shared, laughter resonates, and smiles are endless. We walk to break the stigma around mental health and to bring the community together. We are very thankful for the huge impact this had on NAMI Finger Lakes,” said Sorensen.
The other top individual fundraisers were Jae Sullivan, Hayden Plattus, Howard Reid, Bob Chiang, Meggin Rose, Chris Bobrowich, Aryeal Jackson, Lisa Gerber, and Dave Archer.
NAMI Walks fundraising continues online until June 14
The 5K Runners: On Your Marks!
NAMI-FL Program Manager Jason Hungerford shared how he initially connected with and was aided by NAMI following the suicide death of his husband Jason Seymour in 2017.
NAMI-FL Program Director Jason Hungerford
“What NAMI gave me was an education to learn about the illness that he was battling. It allowed me to gain tools for empathy and communication rather than the resentment and fear and panic that I was feeling. And it really changed the course of my life,” he told the participants before the walk began. In 2021, Hungerford launched the spouse and partner support group at NAMI.
Other speakers included Kayla Matos, a member of Ithaca Common Council and acting Ithaca mayor, and Chloë Moore from the office of State Senator Lea Webb.
“Today, we walk just not in solidarity, but with purpose. Mental health impacts every part of our community, every family, every workplace, every individual. Yet too often it is overlooked. Events like this remind us that no one is alone and that that asking for help is a sign of strength,” said Matos.
“This work does not belong to one person or one organization. It takes all of us. You must keep having these conversations, uplifting one another, and supporting the grassroots organizations that are leading this work every day,” she added.
Ithaca Common Council Member Kayla Matos
Moore said that NAMI Walks events are an important way to break the stigma around mental health.
“What everybody’s doing here today and showing up like this is really an act of hope, which is something that we need a lot of right now. Coming together to have this hope around mental health is a really, really powerful form of community and resistance,” they said.
Beloved Ithaca artist SingTrece led the walkers out of the Stewart Park Pavilion with the song, “Stand by Me.”
“In a time like this, where we need to stand together, this is the perfect group to be around. Sometimes we feel alone, we don’t know who is there. I want you to think of the person that has stood by you, no matter what stage of life you have been in, what chapter of life you have been in, just knowing that you got that one person,” she said.
SingTrece sings “Stand by Me”
NAMI Walks funds programs such as peer-led support groups for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness.
NAMI Finger Lakes offers an array of peer-led programs that provide free education, skills training, and support. It operates a HelpLine where experienced volunteers answer calls for support and mental health resources. The number is (607 273-2462).
Several organizations supported the event with information tables, including the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York, Finger Lakes Independence Center, Sensory Nourishment, NY FarmNet, and The Sophie Fund. Be Kind Ithaca and Free Hugs Ithaca greeted the walkers en route with kindness and hugs.
Sponsors of the 2025 NAMI Walks include Segal & Sorensen, Cayuga Health, Tompkins Community Bank, Wegmans, Cornell University, CFCU Community Credit Union, Guthrie, Howard Hanna, and Cayuga Landscape.
NAMI Finger Lakes is one of some 600 local affiliates of the national organization, a grassroots mental health organization founded in 1979 dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI says its mission is to educate, support, advocate, listen and lead to improve the lives of people with mental illness and their loved ones.
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