The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI for short, is a national grassroots advocacy group for people affected by mental illness. They offer an array of support and education programs for individuals and families through their local NAMI affiliates.
In 2016, their Austin affiliate (since renamed NAMI Central Texas) reached out to us about providing 4 pedicabs for their annual September NAMIWalks event. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the purpose of the Walk is to promote suicide awareness, end stigma, and create hope for those affected by mental illness.
Pedicabs might seem like a strange inclusion, but pedicabs actually have a long history of participating in parades and augmenting these types of events. Some people may have difficulty participating to the extent that they want, so we provide them free rides with our pedicabs to ensure that they can enjoy themselves, too. All are welcome to ride.
The walk starts at the lawn of the Long Center for Performing Arts, circles the Texas Capitol, and returns to the Long Center.
We have participated in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 NAMIWalks events. It is a sincere honor. You can #JoinTheMovement, too, on Saturday, September 28th, 2019.
NAMI selected the following options for their event:
Driver branding and Driver-for-hire, from our Driver engagement menu. The four pedicab drivers are provided NAMI-branded t-shirts, and they provide free rides for 2 hours one morning, for a total of 8 hours.