NAMI Walk of Washington set for Oct. 27

The eighth annual NAMI Walk of Washington will take place this year on national Make A Difference Day — Saturday, Oct. 27.

For the second year, the walk will be held at Marina Park in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, and the route will follow the scenic shoreline of Lake Washington. The lovely location, a popular area for pedestrians and a well-traveled route for vehicles, brings needed visibility to the event.

The walk is the primary fundraising event for NAMI Washington and the state’s 23 National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliates. The event also serves to promote mental health awareness and remind people that NAMI exists across Washington to help individuals with mental illness and their families.

This year, the walk aims to raise $300,000 to help the NAMI chapters across Washington continue to offer free classes, support groups, information and referral to places of assistance.

As usual, the event will include sponsor booths, prizes, free food and music.

There's a new website for walkers and teams who wish to participate: namiwalks.org/washington

Last year’s event attracted 1,500 walkers.