Donations are $40 per person, with $10 being tax deductible. For tickets, checks payable to NAMI Waterbury may be sent to Joey's Army Navy, 20 Depot Street, Watertown 06795, with names of those who want to attend.

According to Lt. Mark Raimo of the Watertown Police Department, the Crisis Intervention Team is made up of 20 percent of the department personnel, who were trained by mental health professionals. The training included one-on-one time with individuals with mental health issues. The program is a 40-hour training program that allows police officers to learn skills to allow them to "de-escalate" a situation with a mentally ill person, and allow the police to avoid fatalities.

"They tell us what it is like to deal with different mental illnesses so we can understand people we may be dealing with in the field," said Lt. Raimo. "It's great training."

The training was free and the overtime for the officers was funded by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

"Getting the training was a no-brainer," said Lt. Raimo.

The program was brought to the Watertown police by Jenny D'Aversa, a resident with a family member who deals with mental illness.

"I'm very proud and really excited about this program," said Ms. D'Aversa. "It's wonderful that the Watertown Police both understood and embraced the need for this."

Ms. D'Aversa is the vice-president of the Waterbury affiliate of NAMI, and became a volunteer with the organization because her son has a mental illness. She co-facilitates a support group called NAMI-CAN that teaches care-givers how to meet the needs of adolescents with mental illnesses. She also facilitates the new NAMI Basics program, a six-week program.

"This is very near and dear to my heart," said Ms. D'Aversa. "This training is good and it works. It's very valuable and it's free. That's why we're doing the dinner to honor the Watertown police. I want to honor them and tell them how proud I am, and allow the other residents of Watertown to do the same."