Violette Blumenthal: Volunteering in the spirit of MLK

posted January 19th, 2010

During her work hours in Duke Hospital's Birthing Center, Violette Blumenthal is dedicated to welcoming new life into the world. In her off hours, she helps people with mental illness and their families get their lives back.

Since 1996, Violette has worked together with the Durham Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support, education and advocacy organization.

Violette's volunteer work, covering literally thousands of hours, has included several roles at the organization. For years, Violette has been a leader of a support group at NAMI Durham. From 1996 to 2000, she served as its president. Since 2004, she has been the coordinator and instructor of the Family to Family program, a 12-week educational class for families who have a member with mental illness. Few people have taught the course as much as Violette has, and in 2004 she was inducted into the NAMI NC Wall of Fame for her work on Family to Family.

"Violette represents the heart and soul of what makes volunteer efforts thrive," writes NAMI Executive Director Debra G. Dihoff in her nomination letter. "She gives selflessly of her time and her talents for those in need. In the NAMI world, she is the best of what we stand for."

"It would be difficult for me to imagine our affiliate without Violette Blumenthal," adds Linda Burkhart, NAMI Durham's current president. "Violette is a very rare and special person who has given so much of her time and self to this community."

For her tireless and extensive work for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Durham, Violette was nominated for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Caregiver Award.

Learn more about others nominees and the 2010 MLK Community Caregiver here.

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.