ANNUAL REPORT 2013–2014
Sharing the Road Less Travelled
Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dale McCue
President
Alan Glover
Vice-President
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Board of Directors ......................... 2
Greg Rodin
Treasurer
SABIS Staff ..................................... 2
Bob Yoisten
Past President
President’s Message ..................... 3
David Blois
Secretary
Programs and Services .................. 4
Programs and Services .................. 5
Kate Merkowsky
Director
Rob Rappel
Director
Tara Pipella
Director
Volunteers ..................................... 5
Donors ........................................... 6
Revenues and Expenditures .......... 7
Balance Sheet ................................ 8
SABIS STAFF
Mission, Vision and Values............ 9
Denis Cooney
Executive Director
Joe Schreiber
Program Manager
Natasha Bodei
Fund Development
Cheryl Sayward
Intake Coordinator
Kasey Pearson
Service Coordinator
Denise Gordon
Service Coordinator
Jenelle Wasilow
Service Coordinator
Michelle Bowers
Service Coordinator
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Annual Report 2013 – 2014
MESSAGE FROM THE
PRESIDENT
Support Groups. Considerable effort was
2013/14 has been a year of transition for
Client Services programs were further
SABIS. Towards the end of the year saw
improved by the addition of new staff
Denis Cooney leave SABIS after many years
including Michelle Bowers who brings
of serving the Brain Injured Community and
particular strengths to SABIS.
made in the year to strengthen these Support
Groups and new groups were added and
more activities were provided. The overall
we wish him well as he takes up his new life
in Ontario. 2013/14 also saw the start of the
SABIS is particularly proud to run the
transition of the new Government contract
Caregiver Support Groups which provides a
serviced through PDD (Persons with
key component to the caregivers of someone
developmental Disabilities). This new
who has suffered a traumatic brain injury
contract continues with the commitment of
and gives the opportunity for those people to
SABIS to provide services and support to
understand that they are not alone and that
adults with acquired brain injury except that
there is a tremendous support group behind
it will focus on outcomes and goals. The
them. SABIS also took further steps to
actual measuring of outcomes will be
strengthen its involvement with the Brain
developed over the next transition years but
Injury Program at Foothills to support those
will centre on the development of personal
families as they transition from the hospital.
support networks, community and client
2014/15 promises to be an exciting year for
involvement, the desire to achieve
SABIS as it moves into its 30th year of
independent living and the overall
operation. On behalf of the Board of
knowledge of Acquired Brain Injury. In this
Directors, I would like to thank all the staff
respect SABIS will be positioning itself in
and supporters of SABIS for their continued
2014/15 to meet these requirements and
support throughout the year and I look
continue to provide key support to its clients
forward to working with everyone as we
in their road to recovery.
move into future and celebrate 30 years of
2013/14 was a banner year for SABIS in
providing key support to the Brain Injured
continuing to provide ongoing support to
Community.
clients and families and this was facilitated
by a strong showing of support through our
annual fund raising events including the
Thank you,
Family Brunch in February and the Annual
Astrid’s Walk ‘N’ Roll in June. These two
Alan Glover, President of SABIS
events alone raised over $42,000 which is
utilized in part to support the Weekly
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Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
The ability to engage and network with a
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
wide variety of community resources is
another aspect of successful program
development and service delivery. SABIS
continues to maintain contact with
community interagency committees and is a
regular member of the Calgary Interagency.
We are also part of the Brain Injury
Interagency, a group of community agencies
and AHS programs that meets quarterly to
share resources and developments
The past year saw many exciting new
developments in our programming and
service delivery here at SABIS. The core of
our program continues to be Service
Coordination – providing adults with
acquired brain injury and their support
networks with resources, referrals,
information and support. We assist
individuals and their families in accessing
throughout the network of local brain injury
services.
resources in the community by providing
information and referrals for basic needs
such as AISH benefits, housing options, food
hampers, clothing, employment counselling,
Access Calgary, and recreational and leisure
activities. Because we are potentially a
lifelong support we are able to continue to
provide resources and supports for survivors
as their needs change and evolve on their
post injury journey along this road less
travelled.
We also represent brain injury on a couple of
cross disability initiatives. Over the past year
we were invited to join the Action
Committee on Disabilities and Abuse
(ACDA), which is a working committee of
the Calgary Domestic Violence Collection
(CDVC). It was created in 2005 to address
the gaps in service for persons with
disabilities while creating awareness around
the issues of abuse and bringing together
professionals from the different sectors with
a goal to reduce and prevent incidents of
abuse against persons with disabilities while
educating the community on resources. In
addition we continue to be actively involved
with the Persons with Disabilities Chief
Advisory Board of the Calgary Police Service,
To facilitate the best support possible we are
constantly striving to improve our service
delivery process. We have continued to
develop our new FileMaker database to
ensure more efficient and effective tracking
of our clients’ needs and progress toward
meeting their goals. We are also refining our
Intake Process to be more responsive to new
referrals and returning clients. This will
allow us to assess a potential client’s
readiness for service, establish a process for
delayed follow up where appropriate and
communicate more effectively with the wide
variety of community referral sources so
that, in the end, fewer survivors will fall
through the cracks.
a committee of disability focused community
organizations created to help improve
understanding on the police force of the
challenges faced by individuals with
disabilities. As a result of this involvement,
SABIS has taken part in a new Emergency
Alert ID card pilot project. These new ID
cards are now available for SABIS clients who
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Annual Report 2013 – 2014
have significant cognitive, communication or
VOLUNTEERS
mobility challenges. They are designed to
enable the police or members of the public
to assist a survivor in contacting their home
or support person should they become lost
or encounter difficulties in the community.
Marlene Adams
Daryll Allen
John Bark
Finally, over the past few years we have
launched two new support programs. For
caregivers we developed a four week peer
support session called Companions on the
Road Less Travelled. This is a facilitated
group that allows for focused discussions
around some of the key themes that impact
the families and friends of survivors post
injury. We encourage participants to talk
about their fears, their sense of loss their
frustrations with the emotional and physical
Stephanie Barrett
changes in their loved one and help them
explore positive goals for themselves and
Tim Pearson
their futures. For some of our clients who
were looking for an opportunity to explore
Mitch Ravvin
Aeliot Blackwell
Jacoba Deidert
Alan Glover
Jackson Family
Roy Layug
Thomas Linder
Dale McCue
Kate Merkowsky
Rob Rappel
Redg Saffel
personal issues regarding their new identities
and revised goals for the future after injury
we created a Personal Growth Group. This
group was designed to be a focused, time
limited session drawing to a close after one
year. About halfway through their journey
the participants shared their amazing and
inspirational stories with everyone at our
SABIS Family Brunch in February 2013. Due
Randy and Carla Sedore
Sandra Sprecker
Jan Sproule
Storry Family
Daryl Striemer
Bob Van Mastrigt
Don Wenner
to the success of this group, we have now
added the Personal Growth sessions to our
weekly Peer Support Groups, giving many
survivors the opportunity to build on their
growth as well as pursue their own personal
endeavours and goals.
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Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
Richard Slemp
Mike & Anne Smith
David & Shirley Spears
James Stanford
John & Peggy Van De Pol
Mandy Weidinger
Josefa Wolfe
Bob Yoisten
DONORS
Heather Anderson
John & Janet Beattie
Brian Beck
Christopher Boughton
Robert & Audrey Buzinski
Gail Chudleigh
Len Clayton
Denis Cooney
Jonathan Davidson
David & Susan Day
Laurie Dodds
Thelma Fookes
Lydia Freeman
Shirley Gilbert
Alan & Penelope Glover
Steve Grover
Marian Hay
Helen Helwig
Matthew & Carol Herasymiuk
Gladine Herrera
Kim Jones
Georgina Leschinski
Thomas Linder
Margaret Mazurek
Dale McCue
Glad McCue
Jack & Mary McLachlan
Al & Judy Molnar
Gerard Moyes
Helen Myhre
Amy Myroniuk
D. Craig Natland
Constance Olsen
Priscilla Popilchak
Miranda Ridley
Bruce Ritchie
Greg Rodin
Neal & Gay Russell
Doreen Sidjak
Alberta Brain Injury Initiatives
Alberta Human Services
Atco Pipelines
Atco Structures & Logistics
Aussie Rules
Blakes
BMO Financial Group
Calaway Park
Calgary Fire Executive
Calgary Health Trust
Calgary Italian Bakery
Calgary Stampeders
Canada Safeway (Whitehorn)
Canadian Online Giving Foundation
Cenovous Energy
City of Calgary Property Tax Rebate Program
Community Spirit Program
Driving Force
D.S. Rutherford Prof. Corp.
Frank & Ellen Remai Foundation
Grover & Company, Personal Injury Lawyers
Hood Packaging Corporation
John Slemp Memorial
Jubilations Dinner Theatre
Mary Kay
Pipella Law
Rodin Law Firm, Litigation Counsel
The Keg
Tim Horton's Community Cruiser
United Way Toronto Region, Donor Choice
Program
United Way Peel Region, Donor Choice
Program
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REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES
Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
BALANCE SHEET
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Annual Report 2013 – 2014
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Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
Mission
• SABIS offers
lifelong support
and services for
adults with
acquired brain
injury and their
families.
Vision
• SABIS promotes
open and
inclusive
communities for
all persons,
regardless of the
severity of their
brain injury.
Values
•
•
•
•
•
Respect
Support
Inclusion
Learning
Encouragement
Travel along the road to recovery can be challenging. Your donation will make a
difference in the lives of brain injury survivors and their families.
Southern Alberta Brain Injury Society
102, 2116 27 Avenue, NE
Calgary, AB T2E 7A6
Phone: 403-521-5212
Fax: 403-283-5867
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