Upcoming Events
1. General Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 7:00 – 8:40 PM
See details
2. NAMI-SCC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Thursday, April 10
Time: 10:30 AM until 1:00 PM
See details
Upcoming Mental Health 101
VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS
Dates:
- Thursday February 20
- Thursday August 21
- Thursday November 20
Time: 11: 30 AM – 1: 00 PM
NAMIWalks Silicon Valley 2025
Join NAMIWalks Silicon Valley Team
When: Saturday October 4, 2025
Where: History Park in San Jose
Stay tuned, more to come …
February 2025
NAMI-SCC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
You are cordially invited to celebrate with us…
Join our NAMI-SCC community for a luncheon in spring.
Thursday,
April 10, 2025
10:30 AM until 1:00 PM
Joe Simitian Became a Mental Health Champion
By Moryt Milo
Joe Simitian grew up with the notion that if “you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
For the more than 40 years he served in government, he has lived by that tenet, whether it was as councilman in Palo Alto, California State senator or assemblyman, or Santa Clara County supervisor. During his 12 years as a county supervisor, he took that mantra and applied it to the mental health sector where he was chair of the Health and Hospital Committee.
Upcoming February 11 General Meeting
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress in every society, in every family. — Kofi Annan
NAMI-Santa Clara County offers FREE education programs designed to empower individuals living with mental illness and their families. These classes are led by NAMI-trained teachers who have their own life experience with mental illness. Our programs are offered throughout the year.
You will hear from the program coordinators Barbara Thompson (Peer-to-Peer) and Adela Arce (Family-to-Family).
When: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Election of Board Officers for 2025-2026
At the February General Meeting, we will announce the nominees for NAMI-SCC Board Officers for 2025-2026. The officers are President, 4 Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary. Our Bylaws dictate that we also accept nominations from the floor at the February and March general meetings. Our annual election of officers will take place in March.
If you’d like to learn more about our Board of Directors, contact NAMI-SCC Vice President Beverly Lozoff at: blozoff@namisantaclara.org
Directing Change Film Contest
The Directing Change Film Contest trains young people in mental health and suicide prevention through creation of 30- and 60-second films.
There are five submission categories: Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Matters, Through the Lens of Culture, Animated Short, and Walk in Our Shoes.
Learning objectives embedded in these categories include learning the warning signs of suicide and how to help a friend, understanding mental health, healthy coping skills, and where to find help for themselves or a friend. Films are due by March 1, 2025.
Read more about submission categories and contest rules at www.directingchangeca.org
back to topThank You to Our Donors
NAMI-SCC is thankful to our many donors, both long-time and new. In the last three months, we received the following grants:
▪ KLA-Tencor Foundation $50,000
▪ Silicon Valley Community Foundation $30,000
▪ Touchpoint Foundation $5000
▪ Sutter Bay Medical Foundation $5000
These grants allow us to continue providing a wide range of programs to the public free of charge.
Please reach out to Rovina Nimbalkar, our Executive Director, at rnimbalkar@namisantaclara.org if you know of any organizations that might be interested in funding our programs.
We’d also like to acknowledge those individuals who have given over $3000. They are David Lichtenger, Navah & Meir Statman, Aakash Desai, Elaine Cardinale, Keith Skinner, and Brett & Michelle Galloway. We cannot do our work without your generosity. Thank you!
Thank You!
back to topStaff Spotlight: Marcie Lynn Cerezo
Marcie Lynn is a Bay Area native. She was born into a Filipino family as the eldest of three to a Navy sailor and homemaker.
Her mental wellness journey began when she no longer found joy in singing and felt like a stranger in her own skin. For over ten years, she has learned how to seek effective support and gained familiarity with the spectrum of emotions (and trust that it’s okay to not be happy 24/7). She knows firsthand that the road to recovery is not linear, and even so, in the words of her therapist, “no effort is wasted.”
In 2021, Marcie Lynn took NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer class and became more interested in seeing how her mental health experiences could support others. As a result, she began her career as a case manager specializing in peer support. Now, Marcie Lynn brings a perspective of both a mental health service recipient and a mental health service provider to her role as Community Peer Program Administrator.
Outside of her role at NAMI-SCC, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, getting cozy with a great book, and car karaoke.
Recap: NAMI-SCC’s Holiday Drive
This holiday season, NAMI-Santa Clara County had the privilege of spreading some much-needed joy by distributing gifts to local organizations serving individuals in hospitals, mental health residential facilities, homeless shelters, and self-help and veterans’ centers. Each year, we assemble gift bags filled with socks, gift cards, candy canes, and heartfelt holiday wishes to over 800 people. These gifts are more than just physical items – they bring a moment of warmth and happiness to those who may not have the opportunity to be with their loved ones during the holidays, or who may not receive gifts at all.
In 2024, we were especially touched by the generosity of local youth, who helped make our Holiday Drive a success. Students from The Harker School donated over 140 gift cards from their annual holiday drive, and over their Thanksgiving break, students from both The Harker School and Lynbrook High School volunteered their time at NAMI-SCC. With incredible dedication, these young mental health advocates assembled gift bags, ensuring that hundreds of individuals received their much-needed holiday cheer.
ABC7 News featured a story about the drive, highlighting the incredible impact of the donations and the selfless volunteers. One of the students, Shannon Tai of Lynbrook High School, shared her heartfelt experience: “It feels amazing to be giving back to the community. Knowing that I’m helping other people actually helps me in return”. Also covered in that story was an emotional testament from a receiving program participant at the Grace Art and Wellness Center.
We are so grateful for the generosity of our community, and we hope these gifts brought some light and warmth to those who needed it most. Thank you to the many people who supported this very special effort and wonderful tradition!
Watch the news coverage here:
Support Us With A Tax Deductible Vehicle Donation!
Donate your car, truck, motorcycle, or RV to NAMI-Santa Clara County by simply arranging pickup here:Donate A Vehicle To NAMI-SCC
