NAMI Wayne and Holmes named top mental health services provider in Northeast Ohio

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Wayne and Holmes Counties' MOCA House program was recognized as among the top mental health services in Northeast Ohio at the annual Peg's Foundation Excellence dinner Thursday evening.

Nearly 50 NAMI staff and MOCA House participants attended the event alongside hundreds of guests from regional arts, mental health and education programs.

Art for wellness:Downtown stores display, sell NAMI art to raise funds, mental health recovery awareness

"It's awesome," said Helen Walkerly, NAMI executive director. "I got a call in May and a letter soon after saying they selected us for the award. I can't begin to describe how much this means."

Walkerly accepted the 2022 Morgan Impact Award for Excellence in Mental Health from the Peg's Foundation on behalf of the Wooster-based NAMI location.

The award is given annually to "individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in mental health, education and the arts," according to the Peg's Foundation website.

Twelve more years of MOCA

Twelve years ago, NAMI Wayne and Holmes was one of the many mental health providers affected by state funding cuts following the recession that began in 2007.

As mental health programs shut down or shrunk, Walkerly said, local gaps began to appear, so NAMI began developing MOCA House, a peer-based recovery program.

MOCA House stands for Motivating Optimistic Caring Accepting House.

While some funding still came in and grants were used, the Peg's Foundation, then known as the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, awarded NAMI a grant to hire staff after they moved into an old Victorian house.

In its second year, the foundation awarded NAMI another grant to purchase a van, said Jen Grim, director of advancement.

Let's talk about it:Family shares son's story to raise suicide awareness, help others

By 2016, NAMI moved into its facility at 2525 Back Orrville Road. To pay for the move, they used unexpected state capital funds, which required them to provide a 50% match.

"We didn't have the money, so we turned back to the Peg's Foundation, and they gave us the money to match," Grim said.

MOCA House offers free programs for families and individuals like art workshops, fitness classes, games and social time, sewing and a spirituality and prayer class, which always begins with jokes.

They also offer grief support, family education and support and crisis intervention training for law enforcement, she said.

"We really couldn't have done it without (the Peg's Foundation)," Grim said.

Focus on peer-to-peer support

A few weeks ago, Walkerly spoke to a woman in the lobby at NAMI who wanted to join MOCA House.

So, she walked her into the main room at the center of the building to introduce her to the other participants.

"Everyone immediately started saying 'come sit next to me,'" Walkerly remembers. "We really focus on peer-to-peer support."

That support comes in the form of programs like MOCA's art classes, where participants paint, draw or photograph as a way to express themselves.

These paintings were exhibited by stores across downtown Wooster in early October. Now, they are on display and for sale at the Peg's Foundation in Hudson.

"It's really such a great thing, and it's something they can be proud of," Grim said.

Survivors of Suicide Loss Day

One of the events made possible with the support of organizations like the Peg's Foundation is the upcoming International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day on Saturday, Nov. 19, which runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Located at the NAMI facility at the Back Orrville Road facility, guests will receive a hot breakfast and learn about the mental health side of suicide.

"It's a time for healing," Walkerly said.

The event aims to bring people together who have been affected by suicide or whose loved one died by suicide.

To register, visit the NAMI Wayne and Holmes Counties website, namiwayneholmes.org, email info@namiewayneholmes.org or call 330-264-1590.