As announced last week, NAMIWalks North Carolina is going virtual this year and we are excited to say the least! There are going to be over 30 NAMI organizations around the country participating in the big day on May the 30th.

We’re really hoping to build the excitement over this unprecedented mental health awareness event!

So, we think this calls for a contest! We’re dubbing it the NAMIWalks Training Challenge. As part of the buildup to the event and in preparation for Mental Health Awareness month in May, we are inviting you to start “training” today! We want to see what you are you doing in preparation for the big event!

So, where will you walk? You could walk in the park, dress up as your favorite superhero and walk around the neighborhood, walk inside on your treadmill… the possibilities are virtually endless! Do you have a four-legged walking partner? Awesome! Would you rather bike or run to train? Perfect!

Please post your “training” activities on social media and use the hashtag #NAMIwalksNC and tag NAMI North Carolina (@NAMINorthCarolina on Facebook, @namiwalksnc on Instagram, and @NAMINCarolina on Twitter). You can also send your videos and/or pictures of you, your signs, images, or whatever your creative mind comes up with to: marcom@naminc.org

Winners with the most informative, poignant, creative, or wacky posts or submissions will be featured on our Walk Day and possibly before! We hope you’ll have fun with it and maybe even find it as a means to find a bit of relief in this stressful time—all while building awareness.