Individuals and families coping with mental illness are very fortunate to have an active chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in our area.

It is my hope that those who can benefit from its programs and activities will take advantage of three upcoming opportunities offered by the NAMI Bangor Chapter.

The first program is titled Living with Childhood Mental Illness.

This is a free 10-week course open to parents and caregivers of children ages 5-18 with mental health issues.

The class meets from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Feb. 26 and ending April 30, in the Osprey Room at Acadia Hospital on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor.

Topics to be covered will be important aspects of coping with a child’s mental illness, including diagnosis, medications, treatments, school accommodations and more.

All interested parties must be interviewed before the course begins, so you need to call Suzanne Comins, 945-5152, for more information.

The second NAMI Bangor Chapter program is a Family-to-Family Education course.

This is a free education and support program for families who have relatives or friends with chronic mental illness.

The 12-week program will run Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m., beginning March 9, and also will be conducted in the Osprey Room at Acadia Hospital. Refreshments will be served.

Topics to be covered range from manic-depression to panic-anxiety disorders, and discussions will include problem solving, communication, self-care for caregivers, treatment and release plans, family rights and advocacy.

Space is limited, so you are urged to sign up by calling Priscilla Haley, 942-3848, or, between Friday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 9, Nancy Grimes, 223-5686.

Finally, NAMI Maine is hosting its third annual NAMIWALKS for the Mind of America with Maine humorist Tim Sample serving as the fund-raiser’s celebrity chairman.

NAMIWALKS will be held Saturday, May 14, along Portland’s Back Bay.

For more information about being a walk sponsor or participating in the event, call walk coordinator Sue LeClair at NAMI Maine, 622-5767, e-mail namime@gwi.net, visit me.nami.org or write NAMI Maine, 1 Bangor St., Augusta, 04330.

A NAMIWALKS kickoff luncheon for team leaders is planned for noon Wednesday, March 9, at Embassy Suites on Westbrook Street in South Portland.

All proceeds from NAMIWALKS “go to promote and enhance NAMI’s mission,” which “is dedicated to improving the quality of life of everyone affected by mental illness,” LeClair said.

LeClair also told me that NAMI Maine believes there is enough interest to warrant the organization’s effort to help bring a NAMIWALKS to Bangor, perhaps as soon as next year.

You are invited to An Afternoon of Chamber Music at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church on Court Street in Castine. Sponsored by the Castine Arts Association, the featured performers are Arnold Berleant and John Torno at two pianos, Robert Haskell on clarinet, Par Kettis on string bass, Christine Talbott on xylophone and David Unger on fluegelhorn.

Narrated by Paul Gray, the feature presentation will be “The Carnival of the Animals” by Carmille Saint-Saens.

There is no admission charge, but a freewill offering will be graciously accepted. A reception follows in the parish hall.

For more information, call 326-8065.

Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes, a hands-on workshop, is being offered by Husson College and the Technical Exploration Center, a program of Husson and United Cerebral Palsy of Maine.

The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, at Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St. in Bangor, and will be broadcast to Machias High School and Presque Isle High School.

During the workshop, Dr. Therese Willkomm will teach participants to develop skills in using 42 different fabrication tools, materials and techniques to construct low-cost and no-cost assistive technology solutions in minutes at home, school, work and play.

Among other responsibilities, Willkomm, an assistant professor in the occupational therapy department at the University of New Hampshire, is executive director of ATECH Services. ATECH stands for Assistive Technology Education and Community Health.

The workshop also will provide information about finding resource people, places, databases and offer timesaving tips and tricks.

The cost of the workshop in Bangor and Machias, including lunch, is $65, and $58 for the Presque Isle workshop.

Certificates of participation will be awarded and continuing education units are available.

For more information about this helpful workshop, call Lynn Gitlow, 973-1074, e-mail gitlow@husson.edu, or call Joy Standbrook, 973-1078, e-mail standbrookj@husson.edu.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.