08/20/2026
About Dan, who was a member of NAMI Washington County:
Dan has stepped down from being a part of NAMI after 20 years in the organization. He became a part of NAMI because he wanted to learn more about mental health. He stated that, "I became involved when I was trying to learn all I could about the signs of mental illness, its affects, and treatments."
Dan approached NAMI and was sent much information about it, and he joined a support group. He later began to help run that support group. Dan said, "I was attending that support group and then later helped facilitate it, and eventually began to represent NAMI within the community, in collaborative organizations and advisory councils." He was involved with working to improve the interactions that people experiencing a crisis had with first responders. Dan notes that, "With NAMI's advocacy, significant changes were made in areas of crisis intervention services."
The work in NAMI Washington County, with support from NAMI Minnesota led to many support groups, presentations and classes. NAMI made many connections with other agencies and organizations who help with mental health in the community. Dan has made many friendships in NAMI and met many people. He has been a huge support for NAMI Washington County and advocating for mental health. He states that, "I have seen many advancements in interests related to mental health and mental illness supports during my time with NAMI." Thank you Dan for all your work with NAMI and being a member of NAMI Washington County.
