2024 COMMUNITY BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Brain Injury Association Sarnia Lambton

Nominated For: COMMUNITY BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

The Brain Injury Association of Sarnia Lambton (BIASL) is a non-profit organization that provides services and support to individuals who have sustained a brain injury. Our mission is to create community support and services for our survivors and their families so that they may be able to continue to participate in a full and active lifestyle. A safe, inclusive and welcoming environment is what we strive for when our members arrive. Our modest setting, furnished with tables and chairs and simple refreshments in the background, help to facilitate a room of resilient, caring survivors, sometimes with their caregivers, who are curious to find out about each other’s week or how they coped with another doctor’s appointment. The conversation is rich and feedback is often the same, “I’m not alone when I come to this group; I feel understood; I don’t have to explain myself here; this is my second family.”

As we look forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary in October, it is these experiences and simple words that keep a small organization, like ours, moving forward. Our weekly activities include events such as swimming at our local Pathways Health Care Centre, bingo, holiday themed pot luck lunches, card making, rock painting, cupcake decorating, jewelry making, art classes, a Mother’s Day Tea, lunch outings in the community, an International Women’s Day Luncheon, a Men’s Group, Corn Hole at a local pub – the Refined Fool, a Sarnia Sting hockey game, and various community speakers. Annual events include a summer BBQ for survivors and family members; a notable Charity Golf tournament, and a festive Christmas dinner. Over the last five years, we have had the generous donations of The Shoebox Project for Women in December. Our annual Christmas gift wrapping program at Lambton Mall has also been our second largest fundraiser for many years.

This year we received a generous grant from our local Rotary Club to offer a workshop using, The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Workbook, by Douglas Mason. The feedback has been outstanding from our survivors, as they appreciate the continual learning about themselves and each other. The events are of no cost to our members, and transportation is arranged and paid for by our association, as needed. We aim to eliminate all barriers so that everyone can fully participate. For this we are grateful for the generous donations, fundraising efforts and support of our community.

Our community outreach continues to promote safety and awareness activities that may help to reduce the occurrence of brain injuries in Lambton County. This includes speaking to various schools, churches, summer day camps, and the numerous community service agencies within Lambton County. In the past we have participated in our local Kids Fest program and handed out hundreds of bicycle helmets with a message of safety and precaution. Recent conversations with elementary schools have focused on concussion awareness. Perhaps the most impactful activity has been our Unmasking Brain Injury event. The mix of emotions that our members’ masks and stories have elicit, are beyond measurable.

We recognize that the work we do could not be accomplished without the dedicated commitment of our amazing volunteers. This year, eight of our volunteers were recognized by the 2024 Ontario Ministry Volunteer Services Awards. We are grateful for the many hours of service that all of our volunteers have given to our organization.

A famous quote, “Nothing about us, without us,” is the guiding principle from which we strive to empower our members, and one that we are most proud of! Whether this refers to a new program idea, implementing a new policy, or service delivery, this is never completed without the valued and respected input of our members.

We are grateful for this nomination and invite you to seek out our website: www.sarniabiasl.ca or our Face book page for more information about BIASL!

Thank you!