Win a Kindle from NAMI

We are in the heart of our sponsorship campaign for the 6th Annual NAMI Walk on Sunday, Oct. 14 and need your help! Follow these three steps and get your name in the drawing to win a Kindle. So far we only have a few entries, so your odds are great. Here's what you do:

1. Call or email us today to receive NAMI Walk Sponsorship Brochures.

2. Give a brochure to a local business or organization where you have a connection: your place of work, your salon, your doctor's office or any business you frequent. Ask them to support the Walk!

3. Email us their name and contact information by the end of the day on Tuesday, July 31. For each contact you forward to us, your name goes into the drawing once. So if you turn in five names, you get five chances to win the Kindle.

That's all you need to do; we will follow up with them. To reach us, call (412) 366-3788 ext. 23 or email dgarda@namiswpa.org.  Good luck!

Member Highlight: Wesley Spectrum Services

One of our Organizational Members Wesley Spectrum Services has recently opened a new autism program, Autism Mental Health Outpatient Services. 

The possibility of a new diagnosis can be a significant challenge for the entire family. It may take time to process when and where to obtain a thorough diagnosis and discover how to best seek support and services. This new program offers services that can be supportive to any and all family members affected by autism spectrum disorders including:

--Best Practice Psychological Evaluations / Diagnostic Evaluations
--Psychiatric Evaluations / Medication Management
--Individual Therapy for persons affected by autism
--Individual Therapy for parents, siblings or other family members of persons affected by autism
--Group Therapy
--Family Therapy
--Parent Child Interaction Therapy

For more information, contact Michelle Sloane at (412) 342-2258 or msloane@wesleyspectrum.org.

To become an Organizational Member of NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania, contact Darcey Garda at (412) 366-3788 ext. 23 or email dgarda@namiswpa.org.

Allegheny County Dept. of Human Services Announcement: General Assistance Benefit is Ending Aug. 1

As you may know, General Assistance was eliminated from the recently enacted state budget and is ending in Pa. on Aug. 1. This will affect very low income Pennsylvanians who currently receive $205 monthly assistance allowance. While a very limited benefit, recipients of this program are very low income households (25 percent of poverty) who do not meet the requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other programs.

WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS CHANGE:

Beneficiaries who may be affected include many individuals with physical or mental disabilities which prevent them from working, victims of domestic violence, those undergoing active treatment for substance abuse in an approved drug or alcohol program if the treatment program precludes any form of employment, and pregnant women not eligible for TANF. Some beneficiaries may be adults other than a relative caring for a child or for a household member who is disabled or ill.

This small amount of money, typically used to help people take the bus, do laundry, afford co-pays for medicine, rent a room and maintain basic hygiene, will no longer be available.

INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS:

Community Legal Services (CLS) of Philadelphia has prepared two community education pieces for its clients facing the possible imminent elimination of General Assistance, their sole source of income. Please feel free to share this information with them and with your colleagues:

One-page hand-out describing what will happen

Accompanying hand-out with more detailed Frequently Asked Questions

Community Legal Services website: http://www.clsphila.org/

Voting Update: Photo ID Required for November 2012 Election

For the 2012 election, new rules are in place that require voters have photo identification on Election Day.

Key Dates for the 2012 Elections

10.9.12 - General Election Registration Deadline

10.30.12 - Last day to apply for Civilian Absentee Ballot

11.2.12 - Last day for County Board of Elections to receive voted civilian absentee ballots

11.6.12 - General Election

Voters will be required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day. All photo IDs must contain an expiration date that is current, unless noted otherwise. 


Acceptable IDs include:

• Photo IDs issued by the U.S. Federal Government or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

• PA Driver’s License or Non-driver’s License photo ID (IDs are valid for voting purposes 12 months past expiration date)

• Valid U.S. passport

• U.S. military ID- active duty and retired military (a military or veteran’s ID must designate an expiration date or designate that the expiration date is indefinite). Military dependents’ ID must contain an expiration date

• Employee photo ID issued by Federal, PA, PA County or PA Municipal government

• Photo ID from an accredited PA public or private institution of higher learning, including colleges, universities, seminaries, community colleges and other two-year colleges

• Photo ID issued by a PA care facility, including long-term care facilities, assisted living residences or personal care homes

If you do not have one of these IDs, and require one for voting purposes, you may be entitled to get one FREE OF CHARGE at a PennDOT Driver License Center. To find the Driver License Center nearest you, and learn what supporting documentation you will need to get a photo ID visit PennDOT's Voter ID Website or call the Department of State's Voter ID Hotline at 1-877-VotesPA (868-3772).

NO ONE legally entitled to vote will be denied the right to do so. If you do not have a photo ID, or are indigent and unable to obtain one without payment of a fee, you may cast a provisional ballot, and will have six days to provide your photo ID and/or an affirmation to your county elections office to have your ballot count. If you have a religious objection to being photographed you can still vote by presenting a valid without-photo driver’s license or a valid without-photo ID card issued by PennDOT.

If you plan on voting by Absentee Ballot on the November 6, 2012 General Election, you will need to provide proof of identification.

Additional Information

• Simplified method to obtain Photo ID for Pennsylvania-born voters
• Simplified process for PA voters with expired Driver’s Licenses, to obtain a Non-driver’s License Photo ID