Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Hello there and welcome back to another episode of Just say Something podcast. I'm Philip Clark, CEO here at Just say Something and I want to welcome you to this week's edition.
Before we get started, I want you to please like share and subscribe and share. Just know that you can find us wherever you find your favorite podcast.
Just say Something podcast. And so today we have a, a repeat guest and it's always a pleasure. So Today we have Ms. Tiffany Parker.
I'm sorry, Tiffany Parker. And Tiffany is with NAMI Greenville.
And welcome.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Thank you, Phil. Glad to be back.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: Great, great.
So before we get into what we want to talk about.
So nami. Yeah, There's a NAMI National. Yes, there's NAMI South Carolina.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: There's a NAMI Greenville.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: Tell us more about NAMI and then we'll get into what's happening locally.
[00:01:14] Speaker B: Yeah. So NAMI stands for the national alliance on Mental Illness. I currently serve as the executive, executive director. I've been in this role. Gosh, I'm walking into my third year.
Can you believe that?
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Look at you.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: Right? And so the structure of NAMI is that we do have our national affiliate that, you know, helps provide advocacy, information, support, program development, all those things. And then it goes down to our state level affiliation, which is NAMI South Carolina or NAMI North Carolina. So nearly every state has a NAMI state level affiliate.
And then in those states there are local affiliates and those local affiliates, again, have a catchment area, if you will, that they're responsible for. And so I'm proud to say that NAMI Greenville, South Carolina, we are the, we're over largest area in the state.
We have a huge responsibility to make sure that all the programs that are developed at the national level and then that are supported through our state as well, are trickled down. Right. To meet the needs of our constituents here. Now one thing about it is that NAMI national is its own 501C3. NAMI South Carolina is its own 501C3.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:02:37] Speaker B: Every single affiliate locally are its own 501C3. Okay, so we don't get, let's say earmark funding from the state that says, hey, we're going to support this NAMI affiliate or from NAMI national that we're going to support. Right? But we do have opportunities to apply for grants through them.
But it's not like for every affiliate you get $5,000 a year automatically. Right? By being an affiliate, we are able to use the brand, we're able to use all the programs that are signature programs. And then we as local affiliates determine what, what does our community need and want? Right, right. Who do we need to serve and how do we do that?
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Because every community is different.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: Every community is different.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: So I know with some organizations that are national, the money they raise doesn't always stay locally. Does the money that NAMI Greenville, South Carolina raised stay here in Greenville?
[00:03:35] Speaker B: Absolutely. Great question, Phil. Everything that we raise here, whether it be through grants, whether it be from our, our annual NAMI Walk or other events that I'll talk about later on shortly, is all the funds stay here.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Every single dollar stays here.
And so if anything that goes to NAMI national would be for use of branding. Right. That kind of thing. So like we may pay just a small portion from our nami walks, maybe 2 to 3%, you know, that says, hey, yeah, they've created this new branding for the NAMI walks for 20, 26 and then we secure that. But all the funds that we raise, otherwise, you know, those, those all stay here. And I'll say that there are 12 affiliates in South Carolina.
[00:04:21] Speaker A: Oh, there are 12?
[00:04:23] Speaker B: Yeah. There's 12 affiliates in South Carolina. NAMI green belt. We help support two affiliates. So we are considered an A level affiliate. We standalone. We have our own 501C3 board and all those things and a paid executive director. Right. We have some affiliates that are truly volun based.
Right. You know, they just have the board and they don't have a paying executive director. And so, so we're supporting NAMI Kershaw and NAMI Sumpter.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: Great.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: Yeah. So he is doing some work in those areas as well.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Great, great. All right. So you've been at NAMI going on three years now?
[00:04:59] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: So it's been fun, hasn't it?
[00:05:02] Speaker B: Gosh, it has been a great experience. It really has. Yeah.
[00:05:05] Speaker A: So going into that role.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: What do you know now that you wish you had known then?
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Ah, that's a good question.
Slow down.
You know, I am one that believes in driving and to get it done and to do the work. Right. I cannot eat an elephant in a day.
I cannot. Right. And I'm an advocate for, you know, making sure that, that, you know, we're informing our community of all the great things that we're doing and getting our name on that. But we've done that, we've done some of that. Right now our aim is to expand throughout the county from the furthest northern end to the furthest southern peak.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: I would say to take my time okay. You know, and pace myself.
[00:05:58] Speaker A: That's important. Yeah, that's important.
All right, so here we are. NAMI.
[00:06:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:04] Speaker A: It's 2026.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: So tell us about some of the exciting things that you. That we have going on with nami. Greenville.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Yes. So, goodness, we're doing a lot of great work. We have been able to create a youth advisory board.
We've never had a youth advisory board. A lot of our programming has been for those who are 18 years and older.
Now we're going down the ladder. Now we're able to serve and then starting to really hear the voices of our high school students. We're starting with the high school. Eventually we'll get to middle school and some of our collegiate scholars.
As far as, what do they need? What do they want? What's missing? How can we support them?
And what I understand as a licensed social worker is that nothing about them without them. You can't create something if you don't have the voices and hear from those who you're aiming to serve.
[00:07:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:04] Speaker B: And so now we are able to hear from them. We're able to, you know, gain some insight as to what do they want and really start to build and implement it in that way. So that's a great thing. Our Youth Advisory board. So we're meeting on a monthly basis. We're connecting with them, we're engaging, we're educating them.
Right. You know, so that they know how to support their fellow peers.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: So that's great.
[00:07:31] Speaker A: Great.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: We have educational classes that will be coming up this year. Our peer to peer and our family to family classes. So click on the link on our website. If you haven't subscribed to our newsletter, make sure you do that. All of our events and trainings and support groups are right there.
And you can, you know, click on a register.
Our support groups that we have occur on a weekly basis. So we have an ongoing support group for our family members who are supporting their loved ones and those who are living with a mental health concern.
Right. You don't have to have a diagnosis.
You don't have to sign up for our support groups. You just show up. So on Mondays, right. At 130 Industrial Dr. 6:15pm for about 90 minutes. Just come on in. You know, if you need some support, I've gone, okay? So here's the thing. Sometimes we got to take our own medicine.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Right?
[00:08:29] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:30] Speaker B: I've gone to our support groups when life got hard for me and I was going through challenges in my personal life, and now I can Speak to the value of having community in this, in that way. Right.
[00:08:42] Speaker A: And so, so I know mental health is a.
It's one of those things that people don't want to talk about.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:49] Speaker A: So when you say life challenging or need support, what are some of the.
Because people may not realize or think of mental health.
So what are some of the nuances or what are some of the things out there that people don't fully understand about mental health? I guess some of those stigmas that can be wiped away potentially by coming to a class.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:24] Speaker A: What does that mean?
[00:09:26] Speaker B: Right. So that's being in the room of individuals who are also going through mental health concerns. You know, that says, you know what, I know what anxiety feels like, I know what depression feels like. I know what maybe overcoming co occurring. Right. Where there be substance misuse and depression, we know oftentimes they go hand in.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Hand, you know, so okay, is. And then the family to family, family to family.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: So that's individuals. And it doesn't have to be a family member. It could be a close friend, a coworker that says, you know, I care so much about this person that I need help on learning how to support, support them. I need to know that I'm not alone in supporting my loved one and that there's other folks who are going through it. Right. And how can I say the right thing or connect them to the right resources or not further stigmatize.
[00:10:18] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: And make them feel like they're low life because they're going through a medical condition which could be a mental health concern.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Okay. All right. So peer to peer, family to family.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:30] Speaker A: What else do you provide?
[00:10:32] Speaker B: So, and I want to be clear, so and for our educational class, we have our peer to peer class and then we have our connection support group for peers. Right. So those are both for folks who have a lived experience themselves.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: Then we also have our family to family educational class and then we have our family support group.
Right.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: So what do you show in the family to family education class?
[00:10:57] Speaker B: So that family to family educational class, it is about an eight week class, consecutive weeks where family members come together, they learn about the resources, what is stigmatizing language. Right. How to not, you know, utilize that type of language, like calling someone crazy or whatever those things may be, understanding diagnoses, you know, learning about the impacts of mental health and how it may show up. Right. What could be some of those triggers and then community resources, you know, so there's eight weeks full of great information that gives family members, friends, co workers, the Support and the. Know how to help someone navigate.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: How long were those classes?
[00:11:41] Speaker B: Eight weeks. Oh, it's about an hour and a half. Hour and a half. Two hours per class. Yeah.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: All right. All right. What else are y' all offering for the community?
[00:11:49] Speaker B: So we also provide support groups the first and third Wednesday of every month for our veterans.
And when I tell you, they show up consistently.
We are proud to partner with our veteran community, making sure that they get the help that they need.
We have an on demand educational class called Basics. Basics are to help family members navigate the educational system, meeting the needs of their youth and young ones. 22 years of age and younger. 21 years of age and younger.
So if you're saying, hey, you know, my child needs accommodations.
So how do you navigate the iep? How do you navigate the. And that's individualized educational plan. How do you navigate the 504 plan? What does that look like? And so on demand basics class is available as well. We also have home Front, which is a class for the family members of veterans. Right. To make sure that they're getting the support that they need to support our veteran community.
Understanding what does PTSD look like?
Show up. And how can I support, you know, my. Our service members?
[00:13:01] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: So. And I get it. My father, he's a retired airman. My brother is a major in the army, you know, and so it's. It's a work. It's a work, indeed.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Yeah. 100.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: So. So great things are happening. Great things happen.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Sounds like it. It sounds like it. So what's next on your event calendar?
[00:13:18] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. We do have some great events coming up. I would. I'm glad that you asked.
So let me go there. Sorry about that.
For our events, we have our golf tournament coming up in April, and so we call it NAMI for Hope.
We're excited about that. So that is April 27th, and this is our second golf tournament.
[00:13:43] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: I know, right?
[00:13:45] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:13:45] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
It's going to be at the preserve.
[00:13:48] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Preserve at Verde.
We're excited to partner with them again for a second year. I mean, those who supported us, y' all come on out, hit some of those golf balls. Enjoy. Just some camaraderie. And again, breaking the stigma around mental health. The support against, like you said, it stays here in Greenville. It allows us to have cost free. Everything that I share with you are cost free. The classes, the support groups, all of that are cost free. Allows us to go out and do presentations, partner with. Just say something. And other entities like. Like you guys. Right. The other events that we have coming up is our NAMI Walks. You guys know about our NAMI Walks? That's been going on here in Greenville for over 30 years.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Yeah. Wow.
[00:14:33] Speaker B: Right. And so we're going to be at Greenville Technical College again, and that will be May 16th.
[00:14:37] Speaker A: So how many miles have y' all walked in those 30 years?
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Don't get me to score in here. I'm sure there's been plenty. I mean, so you think about it, there's a. About a mile and a half per walk.
So. Yeah.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: So one step in front of them.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: There you go.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: Which is also how we have to deal with mental health issues.
[00:14:58] Speaker B: One step in front of the other, one day at a time. That's right. That's right. That's right. And then we are bringing back our Green Thai Power Guy.
Green Thai Power Guy.
[00:15:08] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: And so that is letting our men know that we are here to support them, creating those safe spaces for our men to speak up and break the stigma around the impacts that our male community can be dealing with around mental health concerns. Right. I mean, yes, they can be strong.
They can lead their households.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: They can support and get supported themselves. So that's September 17th, and that's going to be at the City Club of Greenville. So we're excited about that. I know, right?
[00:15:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:39] Speaker B: You know, I love to dress up. Don't. Don't. Don't tempt me with a good time here. And then we're going to bring back our NAMI Night of Art and comedy.
That date is to be determined, but we're excited about that as well.
Last year, I mean, gosh, we had a great time with lovely Big O as our comedian and had. Oh, my goodness, we had over 75 pieces of art from across the state of South Carolina.
[00:16:03] Speaker A: Wonderful.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Right? So we're looking forward to doing that again. And we just had a great time. It was a fabulous time. So more things to come. Deb Osborne is our director of development. Sarah Payne, our assistant director. And then you probably know Ms. Sandy Cohen, who's been around Greenville for years. She serves as our event coordinator. So we have a great development team. Couldn't do it without them.
Couldn't do it without them. And then, of course, I'm the grant writer on the team.
We have to do all the things.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: We have to do all the things between the grant writing, the events and all that stuff to make sure that we have A team that we can bring in our volunteers that we can, you know, facilitate our programs. We are a volunteer led organization. We are always looking for volunteers to come in and support us, whether it's through tabling, learning how to do a presentation or in your own voice. Presentation. There's so many things I didn't even share that we're doing, Phil. But you know, we offer presentations, educational classes, support groups. We're working with our youth and we're working to do some great things that'll break stigma here.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Wonderful.
So earlier you mentioned, go to your website and click.
So what's your website?
[00:17:17] Speaker B: It is NAMI greenville sc.org and is.
[00:17:21] Speaker A: There a phone number there?
[00:17:22] Speaker B: Yeah, you can give us a call at 864-331-3300.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: And if there's one thing that maybe you didn't mention that you would like to share with our listeners, what would that one thing be?
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Oh, let your voice be heard.
That's advocate. Let your voice be heard.
You know, and if you're not sure how to do that, we'll show you how.
You can join us in this cause. You can join us in this plight to make sure our community is supported around mental health care, that they have access to cost free resources.
And you know, we have our peer support program through our partnership with score. And so if someone says, hey, I don't know where to go for help. Our peer support specialist, Ann Trimmetal, she's certified, she can help guide you along the path.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: Right?
[00:18:11] Speaker B: And if you say I want to do something, but I don't know what I want to do, we'll show you how we'll get you involved. Right? So there's plenty of work to do. And the sad thing is there's a lot of hurt that's going around.
[00:18:21] Speaker A: Oh yeah, there is. All right, one last time. Website.
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Website is nami greenville sc.org and so.
[00:18:29] Speaker A: With us today is Tiffany Parker. Parker.
It's a tongue twister, I guess. Or it is for me. And Tiffany is the CEO, NAMI Greenville, S.C. and I want to thank you for all that you're doing in the community and thank you for being with us today.
And so for our listeners out there, this is another episode of our Just say Something podcast. Be sure to like share and subscribe and we will see you next time. Until then.
