Thank you to everyone who participated in Run for the Mind on September 18th! Luckily, the rain held off until almost the end of the event, and we had a great time! We greatly appreciate all of our runners, walkers, volunteers, and donors for making this year's Run for the Mind a success. You can view race results and race times at chicagoaa.com. Just click on "race results" near the top and scroll down until you reach "9/18/2010 Run for the Mind". We also want to say thank you to our sponsors: Administaff, Winfield Woods, Linden Oaks, Meier Clinic, Good Samaritan, DuPage County Health Department, Alliance Clinical Associates, Lynmar Lending Group, Gerhardsteins, Community Bank, Adventist Glen Oaks Hospital, Betsy Bennett, American Chartered Bank, Hinsdale Bank and Company Trust, Representative Patti Bellock, Paul and Janet Wukasch, New Beginnings Community Services, MacNeal Hospital, Fabien and Tammy Pesenti, JR McBride, Genesis Clinical Services, Lynn Johnson Thank you to our donors of goods and services: Backstrom Chiropractic, County Farm Bagels Deli and Café, DuPage Chiropractic, Einstein Bagels (Naperville), Einstein Bagels (Glen Ellyn), Frank Gironda Salon (Wheaton), Starbucks (Roosevelt, Glen Ellyn), Starbucks (Town Square, Wheaton), Starbucks (Crescent Blvd, Glen Ellyn), Target (Lombard), Trader Joe's (Glen Ellyn), Ultra Foods (Wheaton), Ultra Foods (Lombard) You can help us thank our sponsors by patronizing these businesses!

By Erika Olson

It was my first 5K-10K Walk/Run. Ever. Kay Richards, a good friend and member of NAMI, knew just where to go as she had done many walks benefiting NAMI. We parked in the east parking lot near Danada Horse Farm, across the DuPage Forest Preserves headquarters. The sky was overcast, but we headed under the viaduct and preceded to the registration tables. Kay noticed that NAMI had placed their volunteers at more strategic locations this year, especially the ones who would be directing us during the walk/run. Everyone at the registration tables were helpful; the bananas, bagels, and water were healthful; the music was upbeat and at a good volume. Kay showed me how to pin my number on my shirt, and we then were ready to line up behind the runners at the starting line.

The gun went off and off we went. Deviating from the runners (They headed towards the west, towards Herrick Lake), Kay and I walked east, under the viaduct again, past the Danada stables, and towards Leask Lane. Kay was thankful for the table at the halfway mark; the volunteers there provided water and directed us to turn around and follow the signs back to where we had started. I liked how we went back a different way, thus providing some variety to our walk. I did pass a few familiar faces and was surprised at the large turn-out of participants. I was also surprised at how short 5K (3.2 miles) seemed to me.

The entire walk took us 50 minutes. It was perfect timing because right after finishing the walk, the clouds opened up. Despite the rain, people’s spirits didn’t appear dampened, knowing that they had walked or run for a worthy cause. Thank you, Kay, and all who were involved in the “Run for the Mind.”

By Sharon Thiese, Volunteer, NAMI Line Co-Editor.