ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN THE COMMUNITY

For A Simple Brain Injury Support Group Organization Inc.
(ASBISG.org)

A Simple Brain Injury Support Organization Inc. (ASBISG.org) is a neurological impairments and brain injury support organization giving non-profit support and counseling services to anyone involved with neurological disabilities, their family members, friends, and the public. We currently have thousands of members locally and abroad with peers in the community to stand for each other, listen, comfort and build an uplifting community with support. Age ranges from children with brain injuries and their family members to senior citizens. Members have had all walks of life including children who had a traumatic brain injuries at 2 years old but went on to receive their Master’s Degree and PhD.

​

Brain injuries occur in many different forms from birth defects, traumatic brain injuries or acquired brain injuries. The State of New Jersey Department of Health statistically shows 12,000-15,000 brain injuries happen each year from traumatic events. Even more are recorded for stroke survivors in the state in 2005, “(146,000) New Jerseyans age 18 or older had a history of stroke.” Many of these survivors don’t have people who can understand their frustrations, strives, communication problems, mobility needs, or have peer support and advocacy. This is not limited to traumatic brain injuries or strokes as it was an example but also applies to autism, aneurism, encephalitis, hydrocephalus, multiple sclerosis, and others in the community with special needs. 

Many in the community don’t have the economic resources for transportation services, health insurance, home improvements, or family assistance. The state government offers food and financial assistance but minimal resources are available. The resource center will give the public, family members, caregivers, and survivors an establishment to socialize, congregate, have meetings, meet others, and find valuable informational resources to educate and learn about these debilitating issues. 

​

The number of traumatic brain injuries and strokes alone have grown repetitively over the years aside from the other neurological disabilities there are no known cure for. Not enough people meet others who can understand the struggles, emotional impacts, the alliance built in support groups, and companions to understand and speak up. We have been doing this support for 10+ years and our numbers are only growing now where additional resources are needed. The threat we face is also the amount of individuals with brain injuries who can’t afford insurance or medication and (during their bouts) they don’t have uplifting, positive reinforcement or social structure when they contemplate drug abuse, alcoholism or suicide as a coping strategy. This is where A Simple Brain Injury Support Group can come in as a resource center for counseling services.
 ​
Our strengths are in our numbers. We have thousands of groups members nationwide who stand together in the brain injury community. We have an online radio show reaching out to the public globally for anyone to listen to or call in. When people need to call, they have someone they can speak to anytime for resource information or support counseling services. Peer support and understanding by caregivers and survivors help individuals who need someone to talk to. This is beneficial when medical books don’t teach about emotional impacts, can not hear their voices and outpatient care offices in medical facilities don’t offer peer support.
 ​
Our future vision is to have multiple premier regional resource centers for brain injury associations in each state referring people to meet others who are involved in the brain injury community. We would like to encompass an area where local people in every state can have an establishment for communities to walk in to have a safe, open door policy for fun, educational, safe, unbiased, and uplifting atmosphere in short term and long term rehabilitation processes
​

With an understanding of our strengths, weaknesses and opportunities plus a vision of what A Simple Brain Injury Support Group Org. Inc. wants to be in the future, answering this question has become clear. To eliminate the weaknesses we may have, a group of advocates working with public neurologists, medical centers, neuroscience institutes, colleges, brain injury alliances in each state, public awareness, and building of local support groups must take place. With technology being the forefront of what we have already established and teamwork with numerous organizations online and offline to promote to reach these goals at hand can take place with the right focus and determination with teamwork from within the community and by reaching outward.

 

What we do have is a number of people in the community who need services we can offer to the public. What we need to achieve are the goals at hand for organizations to work together for the same cause and agreeing with the same economic development plan we have. Every community has resources who can help one another which we can use: public parks for events, musical events, parades, local colleges who have students who can work as psychology, social work, or OT/PT internships, and referrals for doctors for question and answers about neurology and brain injuries. We can all work together building relationships with each individual personally and by sponsoring the organizations that take part in sponsorship and funding.​

The key to successful implementation requires gaining commitments from our board members and its affiliates to remain in a professional and healthy work environment. Who is responsible for making this happen are the efforts of each member gaining support in the community, staying focused on our goals as an organization, administrative meetings keeping communication open for all members to be working on the same page and teamwork with affiliated organizations.
​
Fundraising and grants by the government or other affiliates will assist in making this non-profit organization stay afloat. Our expenses are costs for special events, office space, rent, furniture, printers, storage, food and water, basic utilities, cable for high speed internet access, computer network administration, computers, documentation for educational resources for the brain injury community, advertising, local permits, staff uniforms, cleaning supplies, legal fees, administration, accounting firm, security system and nursing on-site staff.
​
Every quarter we will be doing an assessment of our short term goals, achievements, struggles, and implementation of how we can overcome them. The staff, legal counsel, accounting firms, members, and affiliates directly involved will be routinely surveyed to make improvements, ideas, recommendations, and costs assessments of how we have come, how things are going and our accomplishments together. Strategies will be documented to break the process down into a number of separate categories such as members, utility costs, event coordination, savings, public outreach, expenses, etc.

If there are any further questions about funding, please contact our organization: contact@asbisg.org