The Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association is ready to kick off Brain Health Awareness Month with the launch of its awareness and fundraising campaign BrainLove, back for another year of spreading knowledge.
Every March, the BrainLove campaign puts a spotlight on the importance of brain health and the many ways the SBIA works to support individuals affected by a brain injury.
This year’s campaign launched via social media on Mar. 1, opening the conversation about why people should focus on the health of their brains.
Much like last year, BrainLove is taking its message online this year, due to ongoing safety limitations. The SBIA will be continuing to share knowledge about proper brain health on Facebook, including advice like the benefits of brain teasers.
“Anytime you think about something, a word, an action, a picture, in a different way, the new connection your brain makes, strengthens it. Brain connections are like muscles because they need a workout to maintain their health. Give your brain a workout by thinking about something in a new way each day during the month of March,” said the SBIA in a press release.
Other activities that help bolster brain health include aerobic exercise to keep the brain sharp, or listening to music, reading a book, learning a new word or language, and meditation to flex your gray matter.
It can also be very beneficial for the brain to enjoy a diet full of fruits, vegetables and foods rich in Omega-3, and keep safety in mind at all times — that means wearing a helmet, securing equipment like ladders before climbing on them, and being extra careful around fall hazard spots like stairs, to name a few.
The BrainLove awareness campaign is co-organized with the Saskatchewan Royal Purple Association, who said that although the pandemic is putting a damper on in-person fundraising efforts, they are confident in reaching their annual pledge goal of $20,000.
“2020 was a roller coaster year for our BrainLove campaign,” said Sandi Lougheed, chair of the SRPA’s charity partnership committee, in a press release. “We were forced to learn an array of new fundraising methods, [but] this is an important partnership and responsibility for us in our province. We didn’t want to come up short.”
SRPA recently celebrated reaching a milestone total of $100,000 donated since the BrainLove campaign began in 2014, and organizers are hoping to double that total with the support of as many donors as they can.
This year, interested donors can even submit a donation online through brainlove.ca, to help boost the campaign closer to its ultimate goal of $200,000.
Additionally, to help encourage the public to learn more about the brain and collect donations in support of the SBIA, this year’s campaign is launching the new BrainTees Golf Raffle.
With just 900 tickets available, the raffle will offer the chance to win a golf getaway package prize to partake in some of the brain-strengthening exercises the SBIA recommends.
“Since our goal in 2021 is to double our pledge to the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association this year, our BrainLove partnership is launching the BrainTees golf raffle,” said Lougheed. “This will be a unique way for our supporters to combine a donation to SBIA and purchase a ticket on a great golf weekend in our province. All the profits will be used to assist our provinces brain injured residents and their families.”
SRPA recently celebrated reaching a milestone total of $100,000 donated since the BrainLove campaign began in 2014, and organizers are hoping to see the same kind of engagement this year as well.
For more information about the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association or the BrainLove campaign, visit sbia.ca, or contact the organization at 1 (888) 373-1555 or [email protected].
