Monday, December 7, 2009

Some Ways to be Involved with the Brain Injury Association of Illinois

There are many ways to be involved and supportive of the BIA of Illinois.

One of the best ways is to become a member of the organization. Visit the website, http://www.biail.org/ and download a membership form. Your membership provides support for our many programs and services, and helps us from a legislative focus. As we meet with legislators in Illinois and in Washington, DC, it is important to share the membership figures and legislative districts represented by our members.

Show your support of the BIA of Illinois by attending and supporting our fundraising events. Our next event is February 27th at the Drury Lane Theater. It is our annual Fashion Show and Luncheon. Watch the website for more details.

Consider becoming a Camp sponsor. A camp sponsorship and/or contribution helps ensure everyone who wants to attend camp is able to do so. The camp raffle is another way to show support of the camp program.

You can make an online contribution to the Brain Injury Association of Illinois by visiting http://www.causes.com/BIAofIL

You can support the Brain Injury Association of Illinois by sharing our information and links with your friends and family. We want to raise the community's level of awareness regarding brain injury and the Brain Injury Association of Illinois.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Educational Conference - October 30-31, 2009

The Annual Educational Conference will be October 30-31, 2009 at the Drury Lane Conference Center in Oak Brook. We have conference lodging rates set up for the adjacent hotels, Hilton Suites and the Hilton Garden Inn. You can visit the website, www.biail.org for additional information and registration forms. The deadline for receiving the conference lodging rate is October 8, 22009. Make your reservations soon.

Bob Love of the Chicago Bulls will be the opening presenter for this year's conference. Our keynote speakers this year include: Dr. Mark Ashley of Centre for Neuro Skills, Joseph Richert of Special Tree Rehabilitation, Dr. James Young of Rush University Medical Center, and Dr. Tina Trudel of Lakeview Healthcare Systems. This year's conference will address such topics as: Role Changes and Coping after Brain Injury, Acupuncture as an Alternative Treatment, Brain Injury Research, Current Neurorehabilitation Tools and Technology, Principles of Cognitive Rehabilitation, Aging and Brain Injury, Feasibility of Swallowing Assessments of the Brain Injury Patient, PTSD and TBI, Neuropharmacology, Functional Cognitive Treatments, Advocacy and the IEP, Sexuality after Brain Injury, and Preparing a TBI Case. Many of you may be familiar with Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Joseph Richert of Special Tree is a certified facilitator of this course, and he has adapted the course to provide it within the setting of rehabilitation.

CEUs will be awarded at this conference for Social Work, Educators and Speech Language Pathologists. CE applications will be submitted for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy continuing education. Certificates of Attendance will also be awarded for Nurses and Other Disciplines. A CLE application will be submitted for Attorney continuing education.

Exhibitors have already begun registering for the conference and we look to have a full Exhibitor Hall again this year. I'm sure many of our Exhibitors will be sharing Halloween treats with conference attendees as well as program literature and resources. We will also be showcasing some of our own Illinois authors in the Exhibitor Hall.Please consider being an Exhibitor and/or a Sponsor at the conference. This is a great opportunity to network with others in the rehabilitation field, generate referrals, and share resources. Conference sponsorships allow us to keep costs to a minimum for consumers and family members to attend. Please show your support of the Brain Injury Association of Illinois by becoming a sponsor.

Equip for Equality will be manning a Voter's Registration table this year during the conference. It is important that we all be registered to vote and make the voice of brain injury strong in local government, Springfield and Washington DC. We have a variety of research opportunities that will be available at the Research table this year. Please be sure to stop by and see if there is something you may be able to participate in.

The Pool session is making a return to the conference this year due to the generosity of Diana Nawrocki! This session requires pre-registration, and the size is limited to 12 participants. The session will be 10:30am - 12noon on Friday. Please register as soon as possible. Participants must be able to transfer in and out of the pool independently. Appropriate swimwear is required, and you must bring your own towel. Our pool session will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn pool. There is a restroom/room to change in near the pool for those of you who aren't staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Swimmers will be picked up at the front entrance of the Drury Lane and transported to and from the Garden Inn.

In the Resource and Relaxation Room, we will be showing a selection of films during the conference. Of course, we will be showing our new version of "You Are Not Alone" and our initial set of Brain Injury Education films. We will also be showing the HBO presentations "Coma" and "Smashed", as well as the Brain Fit program. These will be running throughout the day on Friday so that people can drop in and watch all of them or portions of the films.The BIA of Illinois will also have merchandise to purchase in the Exhibitor Hall. We are currently working to be able to provide additional audio recordings of the conference. Last year, we recorded the keynote presentations. This year we are hoping to record the breakout sessions as well.

We will have a fun time at the conference this year listening to the speakers, visiting the exhibitor booths, and checking out the resource/relaxation center......as well as celebrating Halloween during the "Fall Harvest" dinner and awards on Friday night. This is a dinner you won't want to miss. Dinner attendees (and you must be present to win) will be eligible to win a 2010 conference package (including 2 night hotel stay and conference registration for two) and an iPod Nano. In addition, those attendees who are dressed in costume at the dinner will be eligible to win a Wii System and other prizes. There will be time for those of you who need to change in to your costume during the dinner...just in case you don't want to arrive for the dinner in your costume.

The conference will also be the setting for the Brain Injury Association of Illinois to highlight new educational films being developed for the www.braininjurytoolbox.com multi-media website. We will also be filming at the conference for the next set of films to be included on the site. We have been partnering with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who was awarded a TBI Model System Grant from NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. This grant has allowed us to develop and expand our educational film series, as well as address new program development. Information about the Midwest Regional TBI Model System will be available at the conference.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Brain Injury Association's YouTube Channel

Visit the Brain Injury Association of Illinois channel on YouTube. You can find our channel at www.youtube.com/braininjuryhelp

You can view our educational film, "You Are Not Alone". This film is directed to the person who has been recently injured and to his family.

You can also view our camp film, "Making Headway with Brain Injury". This film features the song, "It's My Brain" written by Martin Bautista with input from all of our campers and support group members.

Our public service announcements, "The Bully" and "Crying Mia" can be seen on the channel.

Brain Injury Association on Facebook

Look for the Brain Injury Association of Illinois on Facebook! Go to www.facebook.com, and search for Brain Injury Association of Illinois. We are there waiting to meet you!

We have two groups. One is a general group open to anyone who is interested. The second group is for our camp, Brain Injury Association of Illinois - Wilderness Endeavor. This group is open to past and current campers of Wilderness Endeavor.

Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon - February 21, 2009

Join the Brain Injury Association of Illinois for a fun and fashion filled day at the Drury Lane Theatre on February 21, 2009. Boutique shopping begins at 10:30. The luncheon is at 12 noon with the "Sweet Escape" fashion show to follow at 1:15pm. Fashion Show tickets are $50 per person. Purchase a table of 10 for $500, and bring your family and friends. Ticket purchase forms can be found on the website, www.biail.org.
Ginger Zee of NBC5 will be our guest host and model for the show. Some of this year's fashions include, Etcetera, Coldwater Creek, Peaches, Gymboree, Janie & Jack, and others. Hats by LeSure will be on this year's runway. We have a variety of boutiques for your shopping pleasure prior to the luncheon and show.
Grand Raffle tickets can be purchased prior to the show, and on the day of the show. Grand Raffle winners do not need to be present to win.
Tickets: 6 for $25.00, or $5 per ticket. The Grand Raffle prizes are:
1st Prize - The Sweet Escape
Plan your sweet escape with a $500 cash prize
2nd Prize - Oh the Places You'll Go!
Escape to the road with a portable GPS system, travel planner, coffee and coffee mugs
3rd Prize - Ticket to Paradise
Experience paradise with a spa basket. Basket includes spa package, luxurious robe, wine and candles
A Basket Raffle will also be available in the Boutique Shopping area. Guests can purchase basket raffle tickets and choose what basket they would like to try and win. The baskets are valued at $100 or more. Basket sponsors can provide a basket contribution or contribute $100 towards a basket sponsorship.
Create a travel destination memory with a photo at the show. Guests will be able to purchase a photo for $10 (3 copies for $20) at their destination of choice. Destination photo scenes include: The Great Wall of China, The Eiffel Tower, New York City, the South Pacific, and The Great Pyramids.
Fashion Show sponsorship opportunities are available:
Gold Sponsor - $3,000
Silver Sponsor - $1,500
Bronze Sponsor - $750
Please visit the website,
www.biail.org for sponsorship information, or contact the office for sponsorship opportunities.
The annual fashion show and luncheon is a fun way to show your support of the Brain Injury Association of Illinois. The proceeds from this event allow us to provide programs and services to children, adults and families around the state. Please consider supporting the BIA of Illinois with your participation at this year's "Sweet Escape" fashion show and luncheon.