advocacy

March Is Brain Injury Awareness Month

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and one of the busiest months for us. We have scheduled many talks, presentations, and awareness activities to bring our story to the wider world.

First off, on March 2nd, Mike and Kelly will be presenting at the Rust Library in Leesburg, VA at 7 pm. We hope to see many familiar faces and get the opportunity to meet more. The library has been an important part of our lives for the past 24 years of living here in Leesburg. We have spent hours with our girls participating in programs, looking through books, and meeting up with other groups. We are grateful for all the support.

2019 Brain Injury Awareness Day.

Kelly will be traveling to Washington DC the following week to present at the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators SEED Summit. The Summitt Supports state systems, Enhances state structures, Engages new and existing partners, and Develops programs to optimize outcomes. Kelly and Carole Starr will promote a program they developed to train brain injury survivors to join boards, committees, and/or focus groups. More information on the program can be found here.

March 8th is Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill and Kelly and her fellow advocates will be meeting with legislators and asking for their support to fund brain injury programs. There will be a few gatherings of advocates and staff members throughout the day as well. Walking the halls of Congress is always an exhilarating yet exhausting day. It is always a day filled with meeting new and old connections, walking the halls of our federal government, and learning about new initiatives in the brain injury world.

A few weeks later Kelly and Mike will travel to Pikesville, MD to attend the Maryland Brain Injury Association’s Annual Conference. We will both lead a workshop in the morning to educate others about advocacy in brain injury. The day will end with Kelly’s Keynote at the Conference. Kelly will discuss communication strategies and ways to work with a team of supporters including medical professionals, educational professionals, and others.

During the last week of March, Kelly will travel to West Virginia to Keynote at their Annual Conference. We are grateful for all the support we have received thus far during this journey. It is a journey. There isn’t an ending point. We continue to evolve and are forever changed by this one single event.

We are scheduling future events and if anyone has suggestions please reach out to us at themiraclechild2001@gmail.com.