Casey Munck says being the regional director for the NAMI Central Oregon chapter is an honor, not a job. There are approximately 650 branches of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Central Oregon serves residents of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties, led by Munck and Devon Nelson-Harmon, the community and program manager, and a cadre of 150 active volunteers.
“Devon and I are honored to be the face (of the organization), but we literally couldn’t do it with all the amazing people that give their heart to this community,” Munck said, explaining her role in what is one of the country’s largest grassroots mental-health organizations. “What grassroots means to me is being a part of the grass that we live on here, being part of what Central Oregon is all about. It means being very connected with the heartbeat of what our community needs.”
NAMI Central Oregon provides free mental-health programs and education across the region, with most of the programs led by people with “lived experience, so that could be someone who has a mental-health challenge themselves or who has had in the past, or maybe it’s a family member,” Munck said. The organization provides peer-led support groups, workshops, classes and also pursues advocacy initiatives. It offers 12 different groups for individuals that meet in-person and online, including for those identifying as S2LGBTQIA, and veteran-support and family groups.
“In any of those groups, you have a safe, confidential place to go and get ongoing mental-health support,” Munck said, adding that NAMI Central Oregon also offers free multi-week classes and workshops a couple times per year and community events, such as the recent sunset alpaca yoga, a monthly art-processing group and a walking group that meets at Pilot Butte.
“We offer all kinds of free activities for someone that maybe doesn’t want to do a support group. They can go interact with others in the community,” Munck said. “There are people at those groups that are pure support specialists in both mental health and addiction, where, if someone wants to come, they can come and have an activity to do while they’re processing the feelings that are coming up for them.”
Founded in 1987, NAMI Central Oregon also conducts suicide-prevention and mental-health presentations in area schools, with presenters that are closer in age to students so they can identify more readily with them. NAMI also offers workplace mental-health presentations that aim to educate workers about how to recognize and help those who might have a mental-health issue while also, “learning how to take care of their own mental health. We’ve come in and talked about how to take care of your mental health in the workplace and how to be a supervisor that is looking after your employees.”
Intervention training with area law-enforcement agencies also is something NAMI Central Oregon conducts.
“People will share their mental-health stories, including many people that have been arrested or incarcerated. We do that two or three times a year with all of our law enforcement. We’re trying to build empathy and understanding with the officers so they can recognize, ‘Oh, this person is having a mental-health crisis, and maybe I need to take them to St. Charles instead of them being arrested,” Munck said.
The nonprofit also offers “pop-up” support in response to community events or other needs. It recently hosted a therapeutic processing group on Oct. 25 for Silver Rail Elementary School families at Kiln Coworking Space in Bend and a pumpkin-carving party at The Open Arts Center on Oct. 21. Munck said she hopes to also begin offering more youth and teen programs.
“That’s the good thing about being a nimble, grassroots nonprofit. If a need emerges in the community, we have the resources and the people, and we know how to tap into them. As needs have emerged in the community, we’ve put together processing groups and social events,” she said. “We’ve also had holiday gatherings in the past when people might be feeling a little extra lonely and want a chance to connect with people.”
The national organization was founded in 1979 by two mothers with sons with schizophrenia who saw a need for support of families in similar situations. There are now more than 650 chapters and affiliates across the U.S. Locally, the Central Oregon branch relies on fundraising efforts, donations and grants to support individuals and their loved ones affected by mental-health issues. The organization’s big fundraising, the NAMI Walk, is a community event that occurs annually at Bend’s Pioneer Park. The 2027 event is set for Sunday, May 16.
NAMI Central Oregon
541-316-0167
https://namicentraloregon.org/
This article appears in the Source November 5, 2026.
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A wonderful and inspiring article! It’s great to see how NAMI Central Oregon brings people together through free support groups, educational programs and community activities. The focus on lived experiences, inclusion and building a supportive environment is especially valuable. Mental health awareness and community connection can make a real difference in people’s lives. Thank you for sharing this important information. Keep writing more helpful blogs! Home Blood test Hyderabad