Dinners will be served with Turkey and all the side dishes enough to give even Santa a puffy stomach. The Post’s Santa (Terry Lamed) will be on hand to hand out dozens of toys to the younger set. Also, there will be free gifts for all veterans, kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, bicycles, scooters and loads of other gifts will be there for the taking as they are every year.

Joe Males, commander of the Post, is once again a city councilman, having recently been elected to the seat he was ousted from because of a disgruntled opposition. He will be in charge both as head honcho at the Post and representing the city as councilman.

Last year’s Christmas Party was awesome. If all turns out as planned, it will be beyond spectacular this year. Address: 124 N. Ramona Street, Hemet CA 92543

For additional information: 951-658-2436

Just sayin’ with a Merry Christmas to one and all. rustystrait@gmail.com

Rusty Strait | Senior Reporter

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NAMI graduates another Family-to-Family class, one of whom we spotlight

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has graduated another Family-to-Family class of loving care-givers.  

The NAMI Family-to-Family class is a free, 12-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It is a designated as an “Evidence-based program,” meaning that research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.

NAMI Family-to-Family is taught by NAMI-trained family members who have “been there,” and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises.  One of those trainers in NAMI Hemet-San Jacinto Executive Director, Brenda Scott.  “The NAMI family education course is a valuable tool for family members. This class supports families in a way that allows them to understand what their relative is going through and to be there in the best possible way for their family members. This class has been a life-changing experience for family members who have a relative with a mental health condition,” said Scott.

NAMI Family-to-Family not only provides information and strategies for taking care of the family member, but students also find out that they’re not alone…that recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

(Caring about people)

The group setting of a NAMI Family-to-Family course provides mutual support and shared positive impact—experiences, compassion and reinforcement from people who understand a student’s situation. Sharing personal experiences help others in the class. In the program, students learn about:

• How to solve problems and communicate effectively
• Taking care of themselves and managing their stress
• Supporting loved ones with compassion
• Finding and using local supports and services
• Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
• How to handle a crisis
• Current treatments and therapies, and
• The impact of mental health conditions on the entire family

We asked Family-to-Family course graduate Martina Keneally about her experience.  “I learned so much from this class.  I learned that the illness is not the person; I learned to be patient with a family member who has mental illness issues, and I learned about the different mental illnesses and how they work with the body and how everything is intertwined. I learned about taking personal responsibility and not enabling the person who has mental illness.  I now feel personally…useful.  The self-care skills are so important because we care so much for others that we sometimes forget about ourselves, so it was a great class,” said Keneally.

Keneally has also learned from experience: a sexual abuse survivor, Keneally works with the Center Against Sexual Abuse (CASA) as well as taking classes at NAMI.  “I share my story now, to empower others.  I am a sexual abuse survivor, and I work with CASA as an advocate.  I can tell you from my past abuse and my life history that working with CASA and doing this kind of work is a calling.” Some would say that it’s a calling of the highest order, but Keneally sees it as her mission.  “I am an Advocate at CASA, so I do many crisis interventions, working closely with the police.  I had to be trained to do that kind of work, and so this NAMI class will help further my career.”  Keneally is working towards the day when she can become a certified Human Trafficking Caseworker with CASA, and she knows these NAMI courses will help further that career.  “We learned so much in this class that I want to take the second class as well, so that I can truly retain the information.”

NAMI invites any interested parties to come visit them at their 38th Annual Christmas Party, December 18 from 11am to 1:30 at the Hemet United Methodist Church, 520 Buena Vista Street.  Those interested can call 951 765-1850 or visit https://namichristmas2019.eventbrite.com

For further information on NAMI, to donate or take courses, please visit https://namimtsanjacinto.org/

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