Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s is donating $2 million to the National Alliance of Mental Illness to expand the nonprofit organization’s support group model.
The donation, which will be disbursed over two years, will allow the Arlington, Virginia-based organization to roll out virtual support groups across the country and update its programming with trauma-informed, cross-cultural training and materials, the company said.
NAMI offers support groups for two populations: adults with a mental health condition and families and friends of people experiencing mental health conditions. Both groups are peer-led and are available at no cost to participants.
“The need for our support groups has risen dramatically in response to the stress and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for youth and young adults and people in underserved communities,” said NAMI chief executive officer Daniel Gillison, Jr. “We thank Kohl’s for its partnership to help us improve and expand our support groups throughout the NAMI Alliance. Partnerships like this show that together we can address the critical mental health needs of the country so that everyone has access to help.”
The retailer has also joined NAMI’s StigmaFree Company initiative, which “identifies and assists companies with a culture of openness, acceptance and understanding about employees’ overall health and well-being,” the company said. Participating organizations receive NAMI resources and expertise to help provide employee education opportunities and awareness initiatives.
“We’re confident that our new partnership with NAMI will make a positive impact in the lives of countless families across the country who are affected by mental illness,” said Greg Revelle, Kohl’s chief marketing officer. “We see this relationship as a natural extension of our long-standing commitment to healthy families and an important part of our continued focus on health and holistic well-being.”
The donation is funded through the retailer’s Kohl’s Cares program, which sells children’s books and toys and donates 100% of the net profit to charitable organizations.
