Over the course of the last decade, the Saskatchewan Royal Purple has raised more than $200,000 for the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association (SBIA) and in 2024 they are looking to spread awareness and raise more funds to help individuals with brain injuries
Sandi Lougheed is the chair of the Saskatchewan Royal Purple Charity Partnership Committee and the Canadian Royal Purple National BrainLove Committee. She says the movement has gained a lot of traction since it was initially started back in 2014.
“When you start off and you see the first donation was $1,250 and you say we’re going to make $200,000 in less than 10 years. It looked like an almost impossible task. We know that it isn’t going to take us another 10 years to make $300,000. While that was a milestone, it’s not the end. It’s just the beginning of the next $100,000.”
In addition, the Saskatchewan Royal Purple is pledging $5,000 to the Feather Ridge Care Home. The funds will be used for a portable lift. Feather Ridge is a long term care home for younger individuals with brain injuries that require Level 3 or 4 care.
Glenda James, the executive director of the SBIA says that Feather Ridge is something that is really needed for younger individuals who have suffered brain injuries.
“There is no programming in most of those places for these young people. It’s just really a huge cost to the individual who experiences the brain injury, and it’s a huge cost to the family and everybody involved. Usually it’s so exhausting that people fall by the wayside, which is why isolation is part and parcel of brain injury.”
James also emphasized how important the relationship with Royal Purple is to the SBIA.
“I always call the Royal Purple our arms and legs. They’re out there, they’ve got the community, they’re doing it. It’s huge to our members, to the people who live with brain injury, but it’s also really huge to the broader cause. If we’re going to emphasize brain health and having somebody in your community reminding you to put on that helmet, to put on that hard hat, to just put the grips on your boots or your shoes when you’re going out.”
Over $19,750 was pledged to the SBIA by various chapters of Saskatchewan Royal Purple during the BrainLove Month launch event in Prince Albert on Thursday.
Other events hosted by Saskatchewan Royal Purple in support of the SBIA include Purple Thursday, which is held annually in October and the provincial BrainLove golf tournament held in June.
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