NAMI Honors Kansas Consumer Advocate for Outstanding Service and Dedication

Posted on June 28, 2002

Cincinnati, OH - The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has presented its annual Lionel Aldridge Award to longtime NAMI member Bryce Miller of Topeka, Kansas.

NAMI's highest consumer award is named in honor of former Green Bay Packer football star Lionel Aldridge, who played in the 1967 Super Bowl and later struggled for many years with schizophrenia. The award was established to recognize service, courage, and leadership on behalf of all people with mental illnesses.

NAMI selected Miller this year for his long and highly effective dedication to the goals of the NAMI movement. A mental health advocate for 26 years, he has worked tirelessly on behalf of those with mental illnesses and their families. He currently serves as Chairperson of NAMI's Older Adult Consumer Committee, a growing subdivision of the NAMI Consumer Council, and also serves as Treasurer for the national Older Adult Consumers Mental Health Alliance (OACMHA).

"It's a distinct honor to be chosen for a national award such as this," said Miller after receiving the award. "I feel privileged to be the first person from Kansas to receive this honor. I know Lionel Aldridge did remarkable things, and to be compared to him really means so much."

Over the years, Miller has been active in various capacities at NAMI and in the mental health field, consistently working to improve the lives of those with mental illness. Miller was a member of NAMI's National Board of Directors from 1992-1998, representing the Consumer Council. He remains very involved at the state level, and has served as President of Kansas's Mental Health Association and Chairman of the Kansas Rehabilitation Advisory Council.