Community Partners

Community Partners

The logo for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The logo for the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
The logo for the Samaritan Center.
Logo for Texas Health and Human Services, including a Texas seal and

About NAMI

NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) is a grass roots organization, started by concerned parents who wanted to see improvement in the care provided to their loved ones in public and private facilities and agencies. It utilizes a lot of volunteers. 


They provide education and support groups for parents with children with mental illness, for the siblings of those children, and for the persons themselves who are suffering from mental illness. These groups teach about Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, and other illnesses. They teach how parents, siblings and friends can best support their loved one and ensure safety. 


NAMI has been a fierce advocate for people with mental illness, advocating for laws to ensure patients' rights, to ensure access to care for all, to provide parity in insurance so that behavioral health gets similar coverage in policies as that of traditional health issues and to provide other advocacy. 


There are NAMI offices in every state in the country. NAMI Central Texas is the branch that serves Travis County. The phone number to reach them is 512-420-9810. Email them at info@namicentraltx.org.

Learn More About NAMI
The logo for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The logo for the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
The logo for the Samaritan Center.
The logo for the Samaritan Center.
The logo for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The logo for the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
The logo for the Samaritan Center.
Logo for Texas Health and Human Services, including a Texas seal and

About NAMI

NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) is a grass roots organization, started by concerned parents who wanted to see improvement in the care provided to their loved ones in public and private facilities and agencies. It utilizes a lot of volunteers. 


They provide education and support groups for parents with children with mental illness, for the siblings of those children, and for the persons themselves who are suffering from mental illness. These groups teach about Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, and other illnesses. They teach how parents, siblings and friends can best support their loved one and ensure safety. 


NAMI has been a fierce advocate for people with mental illness, advocating for laws to ensure patients' rights, to ensure access to care for all, to provide parity in insurance so that behavioral health gets similar coverage in policies as that of traditional health issues and to provide other advocacy. 


There are NAMI offices in every state in the country. NAMI Central Texas is the branch that serves Travis County. The phone number to reach them is 512-420-9810. Email them at info@namicentraltx.org.

Learn More About NAMI

About The Samaritan Center

The Samaritan Center has been serving individuals and families in Central Texas since 1974. They envision a healthy and compassionate community where every individual achieves mental, physical, spiritual and social well-being.


They heal hearts, provide hope, and enhance lives with a holistic approach to mental health for all ages, whole families and the military community. They provide all kinds of counseling services and support through insurance coverage, sliding scale fees, and free sessions for eligible military veterans, service members, first responders and their families through their Hope for Heroes program.

Learn More About The Samaritan Center

About The Samaritan Center

The Samaritan Center has been serving individuals and families in Central Texas since 1974. They envision a healthy and compassionate community where every individual achieves mental, physical, spiritual and social well-being.


They heal hearts, provide hope, and enhance lives with a holistic approach to mental health for all ages, whole families and the military community. They provide all kinds of counseling services and support through insurance coverage, sliding scale fees, and free sessions for eligible military veterans, service members, first responders and their families through their Hope for Heroes program.

Learn More About The Samaritan Center

Past Events from Community Partners

Past Events from

Community Partners

NAMI Walks

October 18, 2025

NAMIWalks is an in-person experience, united with NAMIWalks across the country. Participants get to use their creativity, with the main rule that we continue to advance toward our goal by leaps and bounds.


NAMI does fundraising to achieve all their goals. The "NAMI Walks" in Austin draws hundreds of people every year who pay a registration fee. They walk several miles from the Palmer Events Center to the Capitol and back. Many of them collect donations from family and friends to sponsor their walk and all this money goes to NAMI. The folks who attend carry signs to promote awareness of mental illness and its stigma. Numerous agencies and private entities send teams to represent their commitment to the goals of NAMI. Organizations like - Integral Care (the public agency that provides follow up and other services for people with mental illness), Austin State Hospital, private hospitals, private residential facilities - all send groups, and there are contests to see who can raise the most money. 

Steps That Make a Difference

September 11, 2024

Group of people standing on a glass platform. Some in black shirts, one in tan. Sign in center. Cloudy sky.

Participants climbed up the 419 stairs at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Observation Tower on September 11th while we commemorate those we lost. Participants climbed once or as many times as they wanted.  Four times up and down the tower mimics the number of floors (110) in both Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.


 All proceeds benefited Samaritan Center’s mental health services for veterans, first responders, and their families. The Sheriff Department of Travis County of Texas was a huge supporter and a big participant in the event.. 


Sheriff Sally Hernadez is a huge supporter of mental health both for staff and the people they serve.ou’ve chosen a terrific way of integrating images and text into your website. Move the image anywhere you want in this container and the text will automatically wrap around it. You can display events team members new products and more easily and creatively. 

NAMI Walks

October 18th, 2025

Three women wearing teal shirts with

NAMIWalks is an in-person experience, united with NAMIWalks across the country. Participants get to use their creativity, with the main rule that we continue to advance toward our goal by leaps and bounds.


NAMI does fundraising to achieve all their goals. The "NAMI Walks" in Austin draws hundreds of people every year who pay a registration fee. They walk several miles from the Palmer Events Center to the Capitol and back. Many of them collect donations from family and friends to sponsor their walk and all this money goes to NAMI. The folks who attend carry signs to promote awareness of mental illness and its stigma. Numerous agencies and private entities send teams to represent their commitment to the goals of NAMI. 


Organizations like - Integral Care (the public agency that provides follow up and other services for people with mental illness), Austin State Hospital, private hospitals, private residential facilities - all send groups, and there are contests to see who can raise the most money. 
Group of people in black shirts and shorts on a platform, with a sign that says

Steps That Make a Difference

September 11, 2024

Participants climbed up the 419 stairs at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Observation Tower on September 11th while we commemorate those we lost. Participants climbed once or as many times as they wanted.  Four times up and down the tower mimics the number of floors (110) in both Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. All proceeds benefited Samaritan Center’s mental health services for veterans, first responders, and their families. The Sheriff Department of Travis County of Texas was a huge supporter and a big participant in the event.. Sheriff Sally Hernadez is a huge supporter of mental health both for staff and the people they serve.

Thank You to All Our Sponsors for Our 2026 Insights Art Show Event

STIGMA FIGHTERS

  • Sonja Burns
  • Drs. Stacy and Neil Mendelson
  • Head to Heart Restoration Ministry Al Jones PhD
  • CARMAHealth
  • HEB

COMPASSIONATE ADVOCATES

  • Lane Rockford Orsak
  • Dianna & Ace Pickens
  • Janice Goodspeed
  • Austin Founder Lions Club
  • Frost Bank



MIND HEALERS

  • Sally Metcalfe
  • The Traves Family: Nora, Paul, Jessie & Ryan

DEVOTED PARTNERS

  • Christy Savage
  • Hailey Hoffman
  • Monika Wilson
  • Suzanne and Jeff Schlesinger
  • Avril Hunter
  • Bernaddette Watkins