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February 2020


Save the Date

Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Washington DC

Brain Safety Fair
Clearview Mall, Butler, PA
Sunday, March 29, 2020

Run, Walk, Roll for Brain Injury
Partnership with Cramp Cranium
Saturday, April 18, 2020

Bryn Mawr Rehab's Race for Brain Injury Awareness
Partnership with Bryn Mawr Rehab
Saturday, April 25, 2020

Brain Safety Fair
Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA
Saturday, April 25, 2020
12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM

Brain Safety Fair
Junior League of Leigh Valley
Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA
Saturday, April 25, 2020
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community:  Pittsburgh
Saturday, May 9, 2020
9:00 AM
Heinz Field

Council on Brain Injury's Tribute Trek
Saturday, May 16, 2020
10:00 AM - 12 Noon
East Goshen Township Park
1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA

Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community:  Lehigh Valley
Saturday, May 30, 2020
DeSales University

Brain Safety Fair
Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Monday, June 15, 2020
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

20th Anniversary BIAPA Conference
June 28 - 30, 2020
Lancaster Marriott - Lancaster, PA


March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month!  While efforts to promote brain injury awareness occur throughout the year, this is a great time to focus on educating the public about the incidence of brain injury and the needs of individuals who are injured and their families.  The theme for 2018 to 2020, set forth by the Brain Injury Association of America is:  Change Your Mind About Brain Injury.  This campaign is a platform for changing common misconceptions about brain injury, and is a call to action to join the Brain Injury Association in achieving two important goals:  1)  Increase awareness and understanding of brain injury and 2) Improve care and support for individuals with brain injury and their families.

Here are some ways to help to promote awareness:

  • Talk with someone with a brain injury and listen to their story;
  • Tell your story and read the stories of others on the Brain Injury Association of America's blog page;
  • Post positive information about the brain injury through your social media accounts using the hashtag #ChangeYourMind;
  • Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining to your community why they should care about brain injuries;
  • Talk to your employer and businesses you patronize about their practices for recruiting and hiring people with brain injury;
  • Contact civic clubs, such as Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, Jaycees, or Junior League, and offer to be a speaker at their March meetings. Individuals who have survived brain injuries and family caregivers can be compelling communicators who put a face on the lives of people with brain injuries and are sure to inspire civic club members to action;
  • Join with us during the month of March to help raise awareness. Follow our posts on Facebook, and feel free to share them!

Follow this link to download a Facts About Brain Injury document that you might find useful for talking points as part of your outreach efforts. 


2020 Conference Update 

BIAPA is preparing to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Conference. Join us on June 28-30, 2020 for the best educational event of the year!

The Conference will kick off on Sunday, June 28 at 2:00 pm with Nicole Bingaman. Nicole became acquainted with TBI in 2012 when her adult son had an accident resulting in a catastrophic traumatic brain injury. Nicole shared her emotions about what was happening on Facebook. As a result of her vulnerability in writing about her experience an agent approached her. In 2015, Nicole’s book, Falling Away from You, was published. The book was written from the depths of Nicole’s grief. Nicole has worked for over 20 years in the human service field, but she is most passionate about raising brain injury awareness. She is a blogger for BrainLine.org, and a contributing writer for The Mighty and TBI HOPE magazines. Her story, "Love Wins," was featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Kind America. Nicole serves on the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania and was named a TBI Hope Hero in 2019.

Through her presentation titled Love Wins, Nicole shares some of her story. Nicole supports the idea that brain injury happens to a family, not just an individual. She shares at brain injury and medical conferences, universities, rehabilitation hospitals, schools, and educational symposiums. Love Wins is a message of hope, honesty and compassion, reminding survivors and those who love them of how incredibly special they are. The message is shared through music, video, photos and candid discussion.

Monday morning, we continue the excitement with Abby Maslin. Abby, a special educator and yoga teacher, is the bestselling author of Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love, a powerful story of transformation and resilience in the wake of tragedy. Award-winning journalist Maria Shriver praises Love You Hard as, "inspiring, touching, and beautifully written... a testament to choosing joy during the toughest times." Maslin's work has appeared in the Washington Post and alongside acclaimed essayists in the anthology, Nothing But the Truth So Help Me God: 73 Women on Life's Transitions. In addition to her advocacy work in the brain injury and caregiving communities, Maslin is a regular contributor to the website Brainline.org. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.

Presenting the Monday Keynote titled The New Normal: Gratitude, Growth, and Transformation after Brain Injury, caregiver and author Abby Maslin shares the story of her husband's remarkable recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury following a violent assault. She discusses the many ways TBI impacts survivors and caregivers, including loss of identity, challenges in communication, and shifting family dynamics. She also illuminates the potential for transformative growth following a brain injury, discussing the roles of creativity, vulnerability, and gratitude in envisioning a new path forward. From building new relationships to accepting new identities, Maslin shares the emotional work required to create a rich and joyous "new normal."

Throughout the conference, you will have the opportunity to attend 22 workshops, four social events, six meals, visit with 40 exhibitors, and more. Mark your calendar now to attend this outstanding event. Registration information will be available in mid-March and online registration will be available April 1.

Exhibitors, sponsors, and advertisers at the conference will receive excellent return on their investment. Premier and Standard packages are available for exhibitors. Sponsorships are an excellent opportunity to promote your company to attendees. Sponsor opportunities are listed in the brochure and additional packages are available. To learn more about packages designed to fit your budget and marketing needs, contact Kara Latshaw at admin@biapa.org. Exhibitor, sponsor and advertiser information is available on the BIAPA website.


Charity Bar:  Partnership with Pompeii Street Soap Company

The Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania is excited to partner with the Pompeii Street Soap Company of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania again this year for an awareness and fundraising event.  During the month of March, 100% of sales from Pompeii's Moroccan Rosemary soap will benefit the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. This event will run March 1st - 31st, 2020. Each bar of soap costs $5.50.

This midly exfoliating soap is perfect for when you need mental clarity or help to get moving, and is created using certified organic ingredients. Pompeii Street Soap Company is a company with a reputation for not only creating wonderful earth-friendly products but they also recognize the value of giving back.

Thank you to Nicole Bingaman, BIAPA Board Member and parent of an adult son with brain injury, who developed this fundraiser. We applaud Nicole's creativity and success in partnering with a local business to create this unique and wonderful opportunity! Please click here to purchase some of this wonderful soap!


Baskets for Brains

The BIAPA Fundraising Committee is excited to announce a new fundraising initiative; "Baskets for Brains" will be an online auction held using Facebook. The auction will be hosted in a "Baskets for Brains" photo album on the BIAPA Facebook page. It will be open for bids on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 6:00 PM and close on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 6:00 PM EST. Specific auction rules will be posted at the beginning of the photo album. Please read them carefully. Message BIAPA with any questions. Unless noted specifically in the item description, all items up for bid are new and donated by our Board members, supporters and volunteers. Thank you and happy bidding!

Support Group Corner

BIAPA Board Members Padraig Tangney and Candace Gantt visited with brain injury support group at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. They talked about the work that the Association does to advocate for brain injury survivors; Walk, Run, Roll and Global Picnic events. Helmets for the Holidays, Brain Injury Awareness Days in Harrisburg and Washington DC, the BIRL line and so much more! If you live in the Philadelphia area, consider joining this positive and welcoming group!

If you are interested in locating a group near you, a complete list of the brain injury support groups in Pennsylvania, including contact information and meeting details, can be found on the BIAPA website: Brain Injury Support Groups

 

Thank you to our Corporate Partners

Platinum Partners

 

 
                                         
 

Gold Partner

 

Silver Partners

___________________________________________________________________________________
Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania
950 Walnut Bottom Road, Suite 15-229, Carlisle, PA
Phone: 717-692-5569, 1-866-635-7097

 

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