Missoula Brain Injury Support Group
Group Mission:
The Missoula Brain Injury Support Group seeks to enhance the lives of
individuals and family members in the Missoula area living with the
effects of brain injury through education, prevention, social interaction,
and the constant strive for improvement.
What’s coming up?
January 18: 6:30pm - Guest Speaker: Maia Jackson from the Brain Injury Association of Montana. Topic – Annual Brain Injury Conference. Jim Mickelson, topic – Making Resolutions work for you.
February 15: 6:30pm – Social gathering at Duran Learning Center, St Patrick Hospital
Ideas for topics are always welcome! (Send to mickeys12@q.com)
About the group:
The first meeting of the Missoula Brain Injury Support Group was in January of 1998 with 4 or 5 Survivors. We have grown both in numbers and spirit to over 78 Survivors on our roster from Missoula and surrounding communities. We have established a working financial system that operates on about $2000 per year that is funded by donations and fundraisers. Each June, we host a yearly fundraiser walk-a-thon on the track at Big Sky High School. We also host various social functions such as a pizza party, August BBQ, and a Christmas social. Our largest expense is to help folks attend the Montana State Brain Injury Conference. We provide scholarships to help defray the cost. Our meetings topics alternate between being educationally and socially focused. We meet the 3rd Monday of each month. Most of our meetings are at St. Patrick Hospital in the Duran Learning Center Conference Room.
What’s going on?
In June we had our annual Walk-a-thon fundraiser. Wow! What great success, and what a turn out. We have a very unique bunch of Survivors/Thrivers. Congratulations to Goob for making 20 laps around the track!! Each year as we seek donations it provides us a chance to educate the general public about brain injury and about how truly grateful we are that we can get around the track and soak in a little bit of God's great beauty. It also is so good to know that those of us who do walk; can push those in wheel chairs around the track. Thank you God for giving us these freedoms!
Our Summer Picnic Social went great! We had 32 folks attend from my list. I love these social outings, because you get to see a different side to many of our folks. It's tough to get around and visit all that attend. Please remember these events and continue to develop relationships that don't last just one night….. let them be a start of long term relationships to help you live a better post brain injury life! We had several folks who had not been coming for a longtime. Thanks for stepping out of your comfort zones. It works!
Jim's Idea of the month!
Each day think of your life like someone taking a snap shot of you! At this very moment this is the sum total "You." Try to write a description of what that picture means. Wow! That's awesome if you look at all the details of how you got to where you are at in your life. Make your list include all of the deficits and assets of "You Inc." right now. Is this a good picture? Why or why not? Make a list of all the things you want to change or improve. This is not the end all solution but it gives you a starting list to work on.