Mary Lindsay, left, and Linda Schmitmeyer are National Alliance of Mental Illness members who will teach a free 12-week Family-to-Family education program, beginning Sept. 19, for people whose relatives and loved ones are suffering from mental illness.

Mary Lindsay and Linda Schmitmeyer know what it's like to have a loved one suffering from a mental illness.

And they want to help others in the same situation to cope. The two National Alliance on Mental Illness members will teach a Family-to-Family education program beginning Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at 212 S. Main St.

Schmitmeyer and Lindsay both took a three-day course in State College earlier this year before being certified by NAMI to teach this class.

NAMI is a grass-roots mental health organization dedicated to improving lives of those affected by mental illness.

Schmitmeyer said of the class, “Families dealing with mental illness gain insight, information and understanding about mental illness.”

The two said the free class could prove valuable to anyone with a family member or loved one who is mentally ill.

This is an excerpt of a story that appeared in Friday's Butler Eagle.