A walk to raise awareness and funds to help support people with acquired brain injuries returned to Prince Albert on Saturday morning down by the Rotary Trail.
The Brain Boogie is a fundraiser for the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association (SBIA). It funds programs that break the isolation that brain injury causes. All funds raised stay in Saskatchewan to support local programs for brain injury survivors and their caregivers.
Tracey Monette, operations manager of the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association, said the walk will help those in Prince Albert struggling with brain injuries.
Monette said that the turnout for the event has improved.
“I think each year after COVID, it’s growing and coming back,” she said.
According to Monette, the Brain Boogie raised $1,470, and funds had not been completely tallied on Saturday.
Karen Knutson the President of the Prince Albert Royal Purple agreed with Monette.
“With the shutdown and everything, there was so much that you just couldn’t do. Now everything is just starting to come back and it feels so much better having more people come out and getting bigger and bigger,” Knutson said.
The SBIA strives to prevent brain injuries and to improve the lives of those impacted by brain injury. Brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in children and those under the age of 44. The SBIA aims to change these statistics through prevention awareness and events like the Brain Boogie.
“I believe this is our 22nd year doing the Brain Boogie,” Monette said. “It happens across the province. Regina was last weekend and then we are the second one that’s happening here in PA then we have Saskatoon and Estevan coming up.”
The Brain Boogie is no longer just a walkathon. Each SBIA chapter creates a different concept.
“Regina actually did a drumming group and they brought in an elder to come and lead it…. Other ones have done golf tournaments, but the walk really works here for our Prince Albert group. I think we enjoy it,” Monette said.
With the walk taking place along the Rotary Trail next to the Prince Albert Elks Lodge, the Prince Albert event has an ideal setup.
“It’s such a beautiful day when we get together and go out and I don’t think we’ve had a bad day,” Knutson said.
Monette said that the SBIA was lucky to have the Saskatchewan Royal Purple so involved.
“We love it because they’re going to go on the walks with our group and hopefully the walk. But then we’ve also got them as cheerleaders. When people come back and finish on the cross, the finish line. It’s a great partnership,”
The walk went as far as participants were willing to go and Knutson led the walk this year.
“We’ll just see how the group feels and then they’ll just turn back and make the way back,” Knutson said.
Knutson explained that the Saskatchewan Royal Purple began fundraising for the Brain Injury Association in Prince Albert. The fundraising event has now spread across Canada.
Knutson said that anyone cane experience a brain injury including friends and family of the Prince Albert Royal Purple.
“You just don’t see the brain injury. It’s not something that you see like a broken leg or and or a patch on the eye or something where it’s a physical disability. It’s a brain and you only have one, so to be able to partnership with a great organization like SBIA and help bring i funds that way is great,” Knutson said.
The two have partnered in the Brain Love Campaign, which has already raised over nearly $200,000.
Monette explained that there is no cure for brain injury. Once you have it, you have it for life.
With the Royal Purple being active in communities they can help spread the word, according to Perkins.
The Royal Purple host events like poster contests and golf tournaments to help raise awareness. Perkins said that it is part of what the Royal Purple does to advocate for great causes like the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association, and Monette said that they were grateful for that.
The SBIA is a non-profit and only has a few people on staff so they welcomed any assistance the Royal Purple could provide.
Monette said that all of the funds raised in Prince Albert stay in Prince Albert. There is not any monthly programming in Prince Albert but they do find other ways.
“(We) take those funds and whoever wants to go to camp at Shekinah Lodge or if they want to go to the spring retreat in Saskatoon, then these funds will pay for their transportation and their registration to stay in the hotels and enjoy those weekends,” Monette said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
