NAMI North Bay provides mental health support

NORTHEAST WIS. – NAMI North Bay leaders. From left to right: Wendy Beekman Support Leader, Sara Dick Program Leader, and Megan Keller Administrative Leader. Not pictured: Kasey Ermis Outreach Leader.

The nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has recently expanded to Oconto and Marinette counties with their newest chapter NAMI North Bay Wisconsin.

Administrative leader Megan Keller joined NAMI early in the days of the group’s forming, noting “It has been a work in progress over two years of building and growing.”

Behind the scenes, this volunteer-led organization has been working to become an official affiliate to provide access to resources and training materials that are used by over 650 other chapters across the country.

Keller explained that the idea of bringing a local NAMI chapter to the area is to fill gaps in mental health services that have been identified in the region.

The recently-released Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) from the Community Health Partnership of Marinette/Menominee Counties shared that 12% of surveyed individuals reported unmet mental health care needs, double the national average of 6%. It also stated that mental health was ranked second among online survey respondents and first among key local leaders as a concern in 2025

“Being able to bring something that has a national and state-level structure and organization within it seemed like a good fit for our community to help build some resources regarding those needs,” Keller said.

For the new chapter, their current goal has been to establish themselves so people know where to look for support.

NAMI North Bay collaborated with Oconto-area schools to host Ending the Silence, a “free, evidence-based, 50-minute session designed for middle and high school students,” the NAMI website explained.

“It’s aimed at reducing stigma and trying to give preventative and warning signs to youth,” Keller added.

The presentation also featured a peer lived-experience portion where a local young adult spoke about their personal mental health journey.

Currently, the chapter is starting a Mental Health is Physical Health class. The course runs for five weeks and meets every Wednesday in April from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Emplify Health by Bellin Fitness Center in Oconto.

This free class is about the relationship between mental, physical and emotional wellbeing and is taught by trained peers with lived experiences.

Peer connections are a marker of NAMI resources and events, such as with their peer-led support groups.

Keller said that NAMI North Bay is looking at starting a local group, explaining “We’re going to need people from the community who are willing to go through training and take on the [responsibility of] hosting or co-hosting this sort of group.”

Until then, NAMI has virtual support groups and is recruiting volunteers locally.
“A big focus right now is building our volunteer capacity,” Keller said.
“We’ll continue to build our volunteer and leader base over time to bring new people in and to help support continuing to kick off the programs we’re starting. [There will be] other opportunities down the road because we’re definitely going to need more hands and more involvement from the community.”

She encouraged anyone interested in volunteering for peer-led support groups or other leadership, administrative and outreach roles to visit NAMI North Bay on Facebook or reach out via email at connect@naminorthbay.org.

Additional information regarding NAMI and membership opportunities can be found online at www.nami.org/.