Brain Matters - Kamloops Brain Injury Association

Kamloops Brain Injury Association
Kamloops Brain Injury Association
Brain Matters
Notices
12
Volume 1 | Issue 3
Keeping up with KBIA
Music in the Park
Following on the heels of the
success of the last event. On Aug
16 KBIA summer students Ayla
and Jennifer will again be attending
Music in the Park with a group of
survivors. If you are interested
please speak to either Ayla or
jennifer about joining the group.
ADVERTISING
Rates
Standard business card..................... $100.00
Quarter page.....................................$225.00
Half page.......................................... $400.00
Full page........................................... $650.00
Full page-inside cover...................... $750.00
Full page-back cover........................ $750.00
IN THIS
Walking Group
Want to get fit this
summer? why not join
Ayla and Jennifer 9our
summer stuents for a
weekly walking group?
YOu can sign up at the
front desk or simply
shw up Thursdays at
10:00AM at the KBIA
office with your walking
shoes on.
Issue
1 Keeping up with KBIA
3Celebrating Survival Dinner
5 Meet the Board: Dr.Richard
Brownlee
6 June is Brain Injury Month
7 Spring Fever
9 Group Spotlight: Music Class
10 Gur Singh Invatational
11 Activity and Awareness Day
12 Notices
Paul Lake Getaway!
Summer students Ayla and Jennifer will
be loading up a bus and taking survivors
out to Paul lake on Friday, August 26 for
a pinic by the lake. Speak with either of
the summer students in order to reserve
your spot. Hurry, seats are limited.
For four issues (one year) 20% discount on
per issue price:
Standard business card........ $80.00 per issue
Quarter page...................... $180.00 per issue
Half page........................... $320.00 per issue
Full page............................ $520.00 per issue
Full page-inside cover....... $600.00 per issue
Full page-back cover......... $600.00 per issue
*Prices do not include HST*
Editorial note:
The information provided in this newsletter is for educational
and informational purposes only. The opinions expressed
here are not necessarily those of the Kamloops Brain Injury
Association, its staff, or clients. Different views or opinions
may appear in future issues. Articles in this newsletter are
copyrighted and must not be reprinted without permission.
Kamloops Brain Injury
Association
408 Victoria Street
Kamloops, BC V2C 2A7
250.372.1799
[email protected]
KBIA has been a veritable
hurricane of action these last
few months. We’ve hosted
a highly successful fundraiser,
presented the fun and
educational Activity and
Awareness day, and had one
of our very own members win
Radio NL’s ‘Musician of the
Week’ award. While these
events have been exciting, there
have also been several changes
which require closer attention
to detail to notice.
KBIA has a new door! Since its
installation our new automatic
door has received unanimous
approval from survivors. The
new door has a switch which
allows those who might have
a more difficult time opening
the door to hit a button and
the door opens automatically.
R+R Electric can be thanked for
installing this extremely useful
addition to our office. So come
on down and give it a whirl!
KBIA was extremely excited to
unveil the new etching graphic
that covers the windows
in the meeting room. The
etching depicts our new logo,
dandelions spreading their
seeds in the wind. The new
covering provides our survivors
with increased privacy as they
enjoy our groups and activities.
Summer | 2011
Soon enough we’ll be adding the
same film to the windows in the
lobby and the survivors’ room
as well. Noel Christian from
Christian and Christian signs
has done a fantastic job for us
in creating and installing the
etching.
Unfortunately, due to a variety of
factors we have been forced
to cancel the Motivational
Movements class for the
summer. However, fitness
aficionados fear not!Motivational
Movements will resume in the
fall.
Preparations are underway for
the Gur Singh Golf Tournament.
The 8th annual tournament is
shaping up to be the biggest
and best event yet! There will
be hundreds of golfers enjoying
both a fine day of golf and an
excellent dinner during the
evening.
1
It’s summer time! While most
2
Keeping up with KBIA
of our regular classes are on
hiatus until the fall, there are
some new groups spearheaded
by our two summer students.
There will be a walking group
that goes on treks throughout
Kamloops as well as some
special activities in Riverside
Park. Come on in and meet our
students, Ayla and Jennifer, and
sign up for the groups. It will be
a great way to stay active during
the summer.
We’d like to be your friend...
KBIA has recently given into
public demand and joined
Facebook. So look up our
page ‘Kamloops Brain Injury
Association’ and become a fan!
You can keep up to date on all
the major happenings at KBIA
that way.
If you’d like to read about the
Celebrating Survival Dinner
there is lots of information
about it on page 3.
Activity and Awareness Day cont.
For photos of the fun we had at
Activity and Awareness Day, as well
as a write-up of the day’s events
James Passmore was the MC for the day
and was just one of the many
survivors who helped make Activity and
Awareness Day such a success.
Now we are all looking forward to next
year !
please turn to page 12.
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Kamloops Brain Injury Association relies on the goodwill of many local groups and companies
in order to provide all the services we do for brain injured survivors. This newsletter we’d like
to feature one organization in particular who has gone beyond the call of duty.
The operators and staff at Radio NL have prepared and aired our messages of prevention;
advertised Brain Injury Awareness Month, and provided very generous sponsorship of our
events. Their participation is truly amazing.
A non-profit requires publicity in order to raise its profile. Without it, participation in events
would likely suffer, and we would never be able to articulate our mission to the public so well.
Thanks to Radio NL our message of prevention is streaming across Kamloops, and our
events just keep getting bigger. Special thanks to Jim Reynolds and Frieda Casey. We really
appreciate what you do for us.
11
10
Activity and Awareness Day
June is Brain Injury
Awareness Month, which
provides KBIA with the
opportunity to educate the
public on accident prevention.
As part of Brain Injury
Awareness Month, KBIA was
joined at Riverside Park on
Saturday, June 18th by several
local non-profit organizations
in celebrating Activity and
Awareness Day. Many brain
injured survivors and
members of KBIA interacted
with the public and spread
awareness about how to avoid
acquired brain injuries.
In addition, representatives
from various associations
provided the public with
information about the
services they offer in the
community.
However, it wasn’t an “all
work, no play” atmosphere
as the day also featured some
great entertainment. TRU’s
business students from the
SIFE program along with a
few survivors helped to
organize the bean bag toss.
The target of the game was
to toss a bean bag through a
brain! They also invited the
public to try on a pair of
drunk-vision goggles provided
by ICBC. These goggles
simulate the effects of being
drunk. In addition, survivors
encouraged the golfers in the
crowd to try their skill at the
putting green.
The day also featured many
different types of musical
entertainment. The talented
‘Mr. M’ pleased the crowd with
many covers of great classic
rock songs that entertained the
crowd and had many on their
feet dancing. Margit Bull
performed several country
songs from her new album for
us. Later in the day we enjoyed
the soothing folk music of
Mr. Perry Tucker.
Then the Fata Morgana belly
dancers from Lets Move Studio
volunteered their time and put
on an excellent showcase of
their amazing talents. People in
Motion’s kiosk featured the
always popular face painting.
Randy Ross, a survivor who
runs our music class and a
recent “Musician of the Week”
on Radio NL, led a group of
survivors in an excellent
rendition of the Ramones’
‘Blitzkrieg Bop.’
Vicky, one of our survivors,
helped cook the hot dogs and
hamburgers which were
donated by M+M meats and
were available by donation.
Celebrating Survival
On Friday, May 27th, Manju
and Dr. Gur Singh hosted the
Celebrating Survival Dinner
at the TRU conference hall
to benefit KBIA. We were
delighted to receive over
350 guests whose passion
for helping individuals with
acquired brain injuries
went far beyond our wildest
expectations.
Generous patrons not only
purchased tickets, but they big
heartedly opened their wallets
to support the silent and live
auctions.
KBIA raised over $60,000
during the evening, which
featured Indian dancers, Indian
cuisine and an inspiring speech
from brain injury survivor Jim
Bolton. We thank everyone
who came out and supported
us. Special thanks also go out
to our title sponsor, the Bank of
Montreal.
Special thanks to our platinum
sponsors Daley & Company,
HMZ Law, MJB Law, Platinum
Realty and Zimmer Autosport.
Wine Sponsor: Acres
Enterprises Ltd; Reception
Sponsor: Chances-Kamloops;
Entertainment Sponsor:
Excel Industries; Decoration
Sponsor: Darlen Ventures
Ltd; Gift sponsor: Glover’s
Medicine Centre Pharmacy;
Media Sponsor: CFJC TV, The
Daily News, Radio NL 610 AM,
CIFM 98.3 FM, The River 97.5
FM, B-100, Noran Printing
and Pulse group. Without the
generous donations of these
local businesses we could not
continue to provide Kamloops’
acquired brain injury survivors
with the services they need.
Thanks to the Celebrating
Survival Dinner, survivors of
brain injury will continue to
enjoy the specialized life skills
services they have come to
expect from KBIA.
3
2011 Golf Steering
Committee
Thank you all for your hard work
and dedication!
Dr. Gur Singh
Manju Singh
Arjun Singh
Bob Smillie
Grant Iverson
Alexander Watt
Richard Brownlee
Dereck Schreurs
Kym Behrns
Brenda Aynsley
Marsha Stewart
David Marr
Denise Powers
Kathleen Biagioni
Carlo Cimmarrusti
Rob Vecchio
Rick McCallum
Krishna Parghi
Terry-Lynn Stone
Shanah Skjeie
Kristy Buchner
4
Celebrating Survival
Gur Singh Invatational
xzsf
9
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors:
With the Gur Singh
Invitational Golf Tournament
rapidly approaching,
KBIA has been inundated
with requests for more
information about this hugely
popular event. Thanks to
the tireless work of Dr. Gur
Singh, and to the boundless
generosity of the community
of Kamloops, we have already
filled every golfing spot!
The revenue generated from
this event provides absolutely
vital funds to KBIA, and we
are deeply grateful to the
many wonderful sponsors
who come out and show
just how much the city of
Kamloops cares about brain
injured survivors.
Often it is a little easier to ask
a company or an individual
to sponsor a specific project,
such as a new program we
are trying to start at KBIA,
than it is to try to garner
sponsorship for the dayto-day operating costs of a
non-profit. It’s not as flashy
donating funds for indirect
work as it is to fund a specific
item. But the companies
who support us don’t care
about flash. They care about
sustaining the Kamloops
Brain Injury Association
so we can focus on helping
individuals with acquired
brain injuries get the real
help they need for their day to
day challenges.
But of course without the
dedication of Dr. Gur Singh
and his wonderful committee,
we simply wouldn’t be able
to run the golf tournament in
September or the Celebrating
Survival Dinner in May.
Dr. Singh is constantly
crusading for more public
awareness of the damage
that acquired brain injury
causes both to survivors and
their families, and he finds a
sympathetic ear in many very
generous donors.
This year we’re excited to
announce that the new
clubhouse at the Dunes has
been completed. So, rather
than the tents we used last
year, this year we’ll be living
it up inside the gorgeous
brand new building.
Last year, we didn’t think it
would be possible to hold a
more magnificent event, but
judging by the calibre of the
golf course, the magnificent
food and the fantastic prizes,
the 8th Annual Gur Singh
Invitational Golf Tournament
might just be the best one
yet.
We hope to see you there.
8
Group Spotlight: Music Class
When Randy Ross approached
KBIA with the idea for a class
where survivors could play
music and enjoy ‘jam
sessions’, we didn’t know what
to think. It was a fantastic idea,
but would there be enough
interest? With these concerns
in mind, we agreed to host the
music class- but only for a six
week period.
The survivor response to
music class has been staggering.
Every Friday, for the majority of
the morning, pleasant melodies
can be heard drifting out of the
meeting room as various
survivors showcase their
musical skills with various
instruments.
Some of our music class
members are new to the
instruments they play, and
Randy is more than willing to
help anyone pick up an
instrument for the first time. It
doesn’t matter which
instrument you’d like to learn—
if we have one, you can try it
out.
The advantages our survivors
Meet the Board
5
Dr. Richard Brownlee,
Medical Representative
gain from coming to class
include increased motor
functioning, patience, improved
rhythm and, of course, looking
really cool holding an
instrument.
Needless to say,
we’ve extended
music class from
the original six
week trial period,
and now its one
of our year round
Joseph A. Zak
regular classes.
So if you want to
learn a new
instrument, or impress
everyone with the skills you
already have, then come join
Randy and others on
Friday.
Kevin D. Cowan
David J. Marr, Q.C.
“We care about your future”
A team of experienced professionals sensitive to
the needs of both the survivor and the family.
We travel to you
Suite 600-175 Second Avenue, Kamloops, BC V2C 5W1
T: 250.372.1221 TF: 1.800.558.1933
Music Class. From the left Alica, Tyler Leisch,
Randy Ross and Ed Barcelo
E: [email protected]
www.hmzlaw.com
Dr. Richard Brownlee has
been on the Board of
Directors at Kamloops
Brain Injury Association for
more than three years.
During that time he has
brought a wealth of medical expertise to KBIA. Just
as importantly, however,
Richard has brought a
wonderful personality and
amazing work ethic to his
position as the medical
representative for KBIA.
Since becoming a
neurosurgeon in 1996,
Richard has been intimately
involved with brain
injuries. In the last fifteen
years he has treated
T 250.828.6740
hundreds of individuals
with acute brain injuries.
But it was his desire to go
above and beyond the
requirements of his role as a
neurosurgeon that brought
Richard to the Board of
Directors at KBIA.
“KBIA presented the
opportunity to be involved
with the survivors after they
recover from their acute
injury,” Richard told us.
He believes that it is
during this part of the
recovery process that
survivors need the most
support.
For everything Richard has
given us at KBIA, he also
believes that he’s received
just as much back in the
form of experience and
appreciation for the work
being done here at KBIA.
Richard has developed a
much greater appreciation
for the service KBIA
provides to the individuals
and the community over the
F 250.828.1423
101-474 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC, V2C
years he has been working
with us.
When he is not saving lives
like a real-life George
Clooney, volunteering his
time with us at KBIA, or
managing the highly
successful and cutting-edge
Welcome Back Clinic,
Richard enjoys almost
every outdoor sport and
activity you could think of,
and cares for his salt water
aquarium.
Although Richard admits
that he doesn’t have enough
time to enjoy his hobbies
fully, he told us that “time
flies when you are having
fun or are too busy.”
We hope that Richard
counts his time at KBIA as
having fun.
6
June is Brain Injury Month
June is Brain Injury
Awareness Month; a time
when brain injury
associations across Canada,
their partners and the
community of survivors,
caregivers and health
professionals, strive to
highlight awareness of the
effects and causes of
acquired brain injury. It is
estimated that close to 4
percent of Canadians are
living with an acquired
brain injury.
As incredible as this may
sound, brain injury is a
silent epidemic. In Canada,
brain injury is the number
one killer and disabler of
people under the age of 44.
Statistics further indicate
that incidences are two
times greater within the
male population.
Acquired brain injury is
defined as a
non-degenerative and
non-congenital insult to the
brain that may result in a
diminished or altered state
of consciousness. It may
result in impaired cognitive,
physical, emotional and/or
behavioral functioning.
The social, emotional and
economic consequences of brain
injury are devastating, not only
to the survivors themselves, but
also to family members.
Currently, while there is much
we can do to help survivors cope
with the effects of brain injury,
there are no drugs or techniques
that can cure a brain injury.
Automobile and pedestrian
incidents, sports injuries (a
concussion is a mild traumatic
brain injury), cycling incidents,
criminal attacks, falls, tumours,
aneurysms, and other nondegenerative conditions are all
leading causes of acquired brain
injury in Canada.
Kamloops Brain Injury
Association urges everyone to
learn everything they can about
brain injury and to read survivors’ stories in the media. Their
life stories will fascinate you;
their courage and determination
will amaze you.
In addition, KBIA takes the
opportunity offered by Brain
Injury Awareness Month to
educate Canadians:
children, youth, parents and
seniors, to help prevent
acquired brain injuries by
encouraging everyone to
wear proper gear when they
participate in sports and
enjoy any recreation that
involve wheels! KBIA also
encourages all car drivers to
follow the rules of the road.
we hope what you learned in
June will serve you well all
year.
Spring Fever
7
On July 6th summer students Ayla and Jennifer held their first group activity: spring fever.
Participants in this event were given a clay flower pot, which they decorated with decoupage,
paints and garden ornaments. The survivors displayed their artistic talents and created some
really great pieces. The themes centred on an appreciation of the summer weather which has
finally arrived in our fair city.
The group paused for a pizza break and enjoyed jokes and fun.
After the break, Ayla and Jennifer brought the group together to plant the pots with either
lavender or fragrant herbs such as oregano, parsley, rosemary and sage.
The summer students’ first event was a great success and enjoyed by all the participants. Keep
an eye on KBIA office for information about more of the exciting events we have planned this
summer.
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