Caring for people whose lives are impacted by mental illness was the topic at this week's Rotary meeting with Navah Statman of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) the featured speaker. Statman presented an overview of services available to patients and families in the Silicon Valley.

A grassroots organization founded 1979, NAMI has coalesced the efforts of families, friends and individuals to strengthen communities through mental health Awareness, Education, and Advocacy, offering a wide variety of programs, initiatives, and activities. More than 1,100 chapters strong nationwide, NAMI is now the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving lives affected by mental illness.

Much of NAMI’s funding locally comes from its annual NAMIWalk SF Bay Area, which set for May 22 this year. It will be held at Speedway Meadow in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Distances are 5K and 1.5K. Check-in is at 9 a.m., and the start time is 11 a.m.

For more on NAMIWalk, click here.

The Milpitas Rotary Club meets every Monday at 12:15 p.m. at the Embassy Suites (901 East Calaveras Blvd. in Milpitas.) The club focuses on fund-raising activities and community service projects for youth-oriented programs in the community and abroad. Fighting polio is a mission of the 54-year old Milpitas Rotary. For more about Rotary, write President Henry Manayan at P.O. Box 360167, Milpitas, CA 95036-0167, or call 408-656-0143.