When NAMI Wood County officials needed some help with their many activities, they asked local folks to chip in.
And that’s just what they do once a month on Chip-In Day
Jessica Schmitt, executive director of Wood County NAMI, said there are many students from Bowling Green State University, as well as parents, and volunteers from the community who want to help further the agency’s goal of serving those with mental illness. The challenge was organizing the volunteers.
That resulted in Chip-In Day when people work on a variety of projects at the NAMI Wood County office, 541 W. Wooster St., in Bowling Green. The tasks vary depending on what needs to be done, from typing and stuffing envelopes to working on the newspaper and filing. There are other volunteering choices, including music programs, holiday activities, and work at the Wood County Fair in the summer.
Chip-In Days are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month.
“We made it a one-day event so that anybody that wants to volunteer there are opportunities available,” Schmitt said. “We get to know our volunteers a little bit more. The staff puts our other stuff on pause and work alongside the chippers, as we call them.”
Anywhere from five to 20 chippers show up for duty each month.
There’s an added benefit of Chip-In Day, Schmitt said. “People have the opportunity to talk about mental illness in a safe atmosphere in which people aren’t going to judge you.”
NAMI Wood County can be reached at (419) 352-0626.