Inaugural NAMIWalks Richland County looking for sponsors 

ONTARIO — Aubrie Hall wants May 31 to offer community connection, family fun and mental-health awareness at Marshall Park.

Hall, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness — Richland County, proposed an inaugural NAMIWalks to the Leadership Unlimited class of 2025 as its capstone project.

A class member herself, Hall said she submitted a proposal to Angie Cirone, director of the Mansfield-Richland Area Educational Foundation and facilitator for Leadership Unlimited.

The Leadership Unlimited class members voted on their favorite capstone project ideas from three submissions at the LU opening retreat. NAMIWalks was selected from those applicants.

“Class members appreciate how NAMI’s mental health education and advocacy services have impact across Richland County,” Cirone said.

“In addition to direct support for individuals needing mental health support and their families, NAMI Richland County provides schools, businesses, healthcare centers and law enforcement with critical resources for a healthier community.”

“May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so I hope this is a great opportunity to celebrate local efforts and resources, and to kick off the summer,” Hall said.

The NAMI director said she hopes to reach 200 walk and run participants and raise $80,000 for NAMI Richland County programs.

A one-mile awareness walk is free to register and participate. The 5K race will cost $40 for registration. Participants can register individually or as a team.

Walkers or 5K participants can raise $100 for the cause and receive an official NAMIWalks T-shirt. A T-shirt designed by a local student, race bib and a swag bag are included in 5K registration costs. 

NAMIWalks will also host family fun activities on May 31, including a DJ, balloon animals, face painting, bounce house, yard games, food trucks, a dunk tank and more.

Hall said NAMI will also have resources available at the event and invite people to share their mental health stories.

“I really want this walk to be fun and informative,” she said. “It’s all about how we support each other and our community.

“The overarching goal is to create awareness that mental health is just as important as physical health — that holistic approach. It’s all about making sure you take care of yourselves because you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Any funds raised above the cost of the event support NAMI’s free programs and outreach efforts for Richland County residents living with mental illnesses.

“NAMI is a nonprofit and everything we do is completely free to people,” Hall said.

For eight months from July 2024 to March 2025, NAMI had provided outreach to 120 participants in inpatient support groups, reached out to 318 people at risk of suicide according to police reports and educated more than 1,500 students with “Ending the Silence” presentations to local schools.

NAMIWalks is national nonprofit’s largest fundraiser

The Richland County walk doesn’t have a presenting or premier sponsor yet.

“Businesses at those levels will really help us reach our fundraising goal and support our staff and programs,” Hall said.

NAMIWalks is the largest fundraiser for local affiliates of the nonprofit with more than 60 local chapters hosting awareness walks each year. NAMIWalks is among the top 30 peer-to-peer fundraisers in the United States according to the NAMI website.

“We really wanted to bring this to Richland County and central Ohio,” Hall said. “The larger cities obviously have a bigger population, but we have enough individuals who need services and we want to have multiple funding streams that aren’t just the Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services board or the state budget.”

Hall said she wants to make NAMIWalks Richland County an annual event. She also thanked the Leadership Unlimited class for team members’ support.

There’s so many things that go into organizing a walk that I couldn’t imagine doing all by ourselves,” she said. “Angie’s been phenomenal. The fundraising committee helped us put together the sponsorship levels and everyone at LU have been really great team players.”

Each LU class member serves on one of three committees for the walk — logistics, marketing and fundraising.

​​“The NAMIWalks support will allow the small team of staff to continue these high-quality services and expand,” Cirone said.

“Race day will be a celebration of those who have received life-changing mental health support. The goal is to end the silence and stigma for those experiencing mental health challenges.”