LEWISTON — Well over 200 motorcyclists are expected to kick-off the first NAMI-Maine Ride for Mental Illness on Sunday, April 29. The event which includes barbecue, music and refreshments at the Greenwood Mountain Inn in Hebron will benefit NAMI-Maine’s work with the one-in-five Mainers suffering from some form of mental illness.

Registration, set at a $25 donation to NAMI-Maine, will take place at the Harley-Davidson headquarters on Main Street in Lewiston at 10 a.m. Following coffee and doughnuts the ride proceeds through Auburn, Mechanic Falls and Route 26 in Oxford, past the Oxford Casino. The route returns to Mechanic Falls and over to West Minot Village, ending on The Greenwood Mountain Road site of the inn and the barbecue festivities.

The Ride for Mental Illness is a major event in NAMI-Maine’s 2012 Walk Campaign culminating with a 5K walk at Back Bay Cove on May 12 where hundreds of teams will celebrate the annual effort, which has a $250,000 goal, representing 20 percent of the organization’s $1,250,000 budget. Individuals wishing to contribute or walk may do so by visiting www.nami.org/namiwalks12/MNE/RHGARDNER.

NAMI-Maine’s state headquarters are in Augusta, where a host of outreach and internal services are provided under the leadership of executive director Carol Carruthers. NAMI-Maine is also challenged by pending budget cuts which according to Duhaime make the ride and the response from the total community more important than ever before.