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BIA Conference Excitement for Special Tree
As a co-sponsor and exhibitor, it's tough to miss Special Tree at the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s Annual Conference in Lansing. But Special Tree's presence was especially felt at this year's Conference on September 24 & 25 through several noteworthy events. The first was the guest appearance at Special Tree’s exhibit booth of sixth grader Rachel W., creator of Rachel's Brain Game, a therapeutic board game that encourages communication about traumatic brain injury. Rachel, the daughter of a Special Tree client, created the game with her mother and therapist in 2007. CEO Joe Richert was so taken with her homemade game, Special Tree provided funding to have it professionally produced and sold through the BIAA to help her share it with others. (100% of the proceeds benefit the BIAA.)
Conference attendees flocked to Special Tree's booth on Friday, September 25th to purchase the game and to have it personally autographed by Rachel. Visitors were delighted to discover that games purchased during the Conference helped both Rachel and the BIAA. Special Tree pre-purchased copies of the game so that the BIAA receives 100% of the proceeds and then donated all Conference-day proceeds to Rachel and her family for her college fund. Adding an element of excitement to the event was local TV news station WILX 10 who made a special trip to the Conference just to interview Rachel for a story that aired on their 5 o’clock news show.
"Rachel is so excited to be here," said her mother, Christina, who accompanied Rachel with her husband and his caregiver. "Creating this game has helped her so much and she's thrilled that it is helping kids of all ages to better understand the same experience she went through."
Another memorable Conference highlight was a $2000 check that several clients from the NeuroCare Center Peer Groups personally presented to BIAMI President Mike Dabbs. He acknowledged the groups’ generous donation during Friday’s luncheon. The groups, which consist of inpatient, residential, and outpatient clients who meet for friendship and support, set a goal to raise $2000 for the BIAMI which they worked hard to achieve through various fundraisers including bake sales, a recycling drive, and a Walk and Roll-A Thon at the NeuroCare Center.
Special Tree also made their presence felt through sponsoring Thursday’s Keynote Speaker Brent E. Masel, M.D., President and Medical Director of the Transitional Learning Center at Galveston, who presented "Brain Injury as a Chronic Disease."
And finally, in a show of commitment to staff training and development, Special Tree sent 116 staff and clients who joined other TBI professionals and survivors from around the country to take part in the nation’s largest conference on brain injury. Many Special Tree staff also volunteer at the Conference as well as throughout the year to help organize the event. "You'll always find a lot of us here," said Joe. "This Conference provides our staff with the best opportunities within Michigan for continuing education in brain injury care and rehabilitation."
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