Update: All 40 bibs allotted to NoStigmas have been filled for the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

Thank you to all who have applied to join our team. This has been a record year for applications and our largest team yet. Please join our waitlist to be informed of future bib allotments.

Who We Are

NoStigmas is a non-profit organization that aspires to improve the health and wellness of individuals by addressing behavioral and social determinants to reduce health disparities. We aim to cultivate the go-to peer support community, and to be the driving force behind a positive shift in perspective by fostering a culture of inclusion and empowerment—creating a world with NoStigmas. 

Our mission is to ensure that no one faces mental health challenges alone. We envision a world without shame or discrimination related to mental health, brain disease, behavioral disorders, trauma, suicide, and addiction.

This mission is fulfilled by utilizing a uniquely individual approach that provides universal access to mental health prevention and education, support systems, and resources.

Why We Advocate

The Chicago National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), reports that 38.5% of adults in Illinois ages 18 and older reported poor mental health (feeling very depressed and/or anxious and having to limit daily activities because of mental health problems). According to the Healthy Chicago 2.0 Report, it was self-reported that 18.4% of adults in the Chicagoland area feel that their health is fair or poor compared to 10.3% nationally.

Because mental health challenges and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are common across all socioeconomic and ethnic groups, it is important to think about universal prevention measures. NoStigmas also provides services that enhance the systems-of-care available to individuals in the Chicagoland area living with a mental illness.  We aim to lower the stigmas of mental health services and to provide free peer-to-peer services for individuals. 

Let’s Talk Stats

Half of mental health challenges start by age 14, with depression being the leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is important to note that most of these cases are “undetected and untreated” (WHO). This disparity is a risk factor for suicide, which is the third leading cause of death in those ages 15 - 19 (WHO). 

Furthermore, when left unaddressed, these mental health challenges continue across the lifespan. Approximately 50% of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime, with close to 45 million currently living with a mental illness according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute for Health (NIH). 

With these high numbers of individuals experiencing mental health illnesses, we also address the dose-response relationship between trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) for developing mental health challenges. One out of every four adolescents have been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect their learning and behavior according to The National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network. Individuals experiencing both chronic trauma, multiple traumas, and a high ACE score are at a higher risk for mental health challenges, because it negatively affects individuals’ neurobiology. 

Research thoroughly demonstrates the benefits of peer support programs that include stronger social support systems, improvements in self-efficacy, increased knowledge of a disorder and likelihood of treatment follow-through, and reductions in hospitalizations, use of emergency services, and readmissions due to mental health crises.  The research is evidenced across several studies and published in well-known journals of psychology. 

Chicago Roots

NoStigmas was founded in Chicago in 2007. Jacob Moore, NoStigmas’ Founder and CEO, introduced the grassroots movement on the 20th anniversary of his father’s death. Jacob’s father had a severe mental health condition and died by suicide in 1987. 

Striving to make a positive impact in the mental health community, NoStigmas implements programs designed from a lived-experience perspective with the intent to eliminate stigmas throughout the Chicagoland area. Our programs include community-based events, lived experience talks, and Ally-driven activations aimed at generating awareness about stigmatized issues, as well as fundraising and expansion of our community.  These local events aim to inspire mentally healthy lives throughout Chicago and beyond by encouraging and educating individuals about prevention, treatment, and recovery resources.

Chicagoland Partners

NoStigmas fosters relationships with many stakeholders from the Chicago community, including Room to Breathe, Chicago Center of Behavioral Medicine, Chicago Mind & Body, Chicago Dance Therapy, Allstate, Esurance, Leo Burnett, C.H. Robinson, Accenture, The Joint Chiropractic, Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, The Purple Pig, Bull & Bear Fund and many other Chicago-based businesses and organizations. 

Chicago Collaborators

We also work with many educational and charitable partners, including UNITY Charity Fashion Show at Northwestern University, DePaul University School of Nursing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Roosevelt University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Community in Schools, Hope for the Day, Imerman’s Angels. These community stakeholders have collaborated with NoStigmas since its inception, and are invested in making the Chicagoland area a better and healthier place to live. They share similar missions and goals with NoStigmas, which makes their partnership and participation an important and valuable resource to the success of our programs.

Chicago Marathon Team Fundraising Page

NoStigmas Fundraising Info Page

Charity Team Management

General - hi@nostigmas.org

Media inquiries - lance@nostigmas.org

Address: 301 W Grand Ave #255, Chicago, IL, 60654