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Thank you for attending Light the Darkness 2021!
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silent auction
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The Silent Auction will close at 8:30pm on April 29.
Light the Darkness 2021 Honorees
Sista Afya is a Chicago-based social enterprise that provides low-cost mental wellness services that center the experiences of Black women. They believe that by making mental wellness simple, accessible, affordable, and centered around Black women's experiences, more people will get what they need to have a full, whole life.
Lakeview Pantry is a nonprofit organization that helps their neighbors overcome hunger, improve mental wellness, and achieve life goals. They believe that fostering a healthy mind is vital to well-being, and integrate therapy and connection to resources into their emergency food sites. In response to immense community need, Lakeview Pantry served 152,000 people in the year 2020, 2.6x their previous yearly reach.
Publicis Health transforms healthcare marketing and communications into healthcare engagement. As a company, Publicis believes there is no health without mental health, and they are committed to destigmatizing mental health and neurodiversity across the organization. They stand out as an example of what it looks like to prioritize mental wellness in the corporate sector.
Rush is a leading academic health system, dedicated to improving the health of the people and diverse communities they serve. Rush believes that supporting the wellbeing of their healers and helpers, fighting anxiety, stress and burnout, is critical to the quality of patient care. Their commitment to health justice and employee wellness has made them leaders in the health care space, and enabled a successful, organized pandemic response.
Ambassadors of the Year
Nikki Lynette
Nikki Lynette is an artist, musician, playwright and activist who has changed youth’s lives as a remarkable lived experience speaker in NAMI Chicago’s Ending the Silence program. Nikki created an “afrogoth musical” about her personal journey with mental health called Get out Alive, which ran first at Steppenwolf and was then reimagined as a 4-part internet series. She works to tell the story that “when life leads us to a bad place, we can always make it out alive.”
Kristina Lewis
Kristina Lewis is a fierce advocate for recovery and dignity of people with mental health conditions. She has been an ambassador with NAMI Chicago for over 5 years, providing emotional support, sharing her recovery story and personal journey, and advocating for people living in SMHRFs (specialized mental health rehabilitation facilities). Kristina lived 7 years in a SMRHF facility herself before moving to her own apartment in 2013 under the Moving On program. This work gives her hope.
Featured Guests
Keynote Speaker
Olachi Tiffany Etoh is a writer and first-generation Nigerian born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a speaker and vocal mental health advocate, who shares her journey of crisis, recovery and injustice through the criminal court and state system in Illinois. Olachi graduated cum laude with a B.S in International Business from the University of Baltimore, and briefly attended Loyola University Chicago for a post-baccalaureate in pre-medical sciences before moving on to work at CDW, a Fortune 500 in technology. She first connected with NAMI Chicago through our Helpline. Visit Olachi’s Website.
Featured Artist
Pam R. Johnson Davis is an award-winning writer, singer, historian, and educator residing in Chicago, IL. Her first book, "Seasons (I'll Be Seeing You): A collection of poems about heartbreak, healing, and redemption" debuted at the #1 spot for New Releases in African-American Poetry and Women's Poetry Worldwide on Amazon in June 2020. Seasons (I'll Be Seeing You) was also honored as the winner of the Best Urban Poetry Book Award at American Book Fest in August 2020. Pam holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in History and currently serves as the Director of Student Support for a national education nonprofit. Explore Pam’s Blog.