Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington Patti Lehman and Past President of the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington Jean Taylor stand in front of a quilt hanging in the recently-opened Opportunity Centre, that symbolizes the coming together of the two organizations that provide programs there for brain injury survivors.
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By Carrie Debrone
Kitchener Citizen
October 10, 2013
When Paula Mahoney was 13 years old, she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. After being in a coma for over five weeks she woke up, but her life was never the same.
The accident left her with a brain injury. She grew up and had a child. Every day was a struggle to hold a job and to make a life for herself and her son.
“It was really hard. I was working and I was a hockey mom. When I was 38 I had a breakdown. I think it was all just too much for me,” she said.
“I was angry at everything.”
Six years ago she found the Opportunity Centre, which offers programs to adults with brain injuries run by the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington and Traverse Independence, a not-for-profit organization that provides support to people with acquired brain injuries and physical disabilities.
For ten years, the organizations ran their programs from three buildings located at a plaza at 607 King St. W. in Kitchener. On September 24, they celebrated the opening of the new Opportunity Centre at 450 Westheights Drive, Driftwood Plaza, in Kitchener, where all the centre’s programs are now operating under one roof.
“I was so angry before, but now I’m better. I like it here. I’ve made a lot of friends and found a lot of support. I learned to play the guitar and I’m in a band,” Mahoney said, adding that she also volunteers with the centre’s music and food bank programs.
These days she rides an e-bike to wherever she needs to go, and works part time in Waterloo.
“This centre is a place where I can come to help other people. It gives me a sense of value,” she said.
“I think my son is proud of me and I am going to be a grandma soon.”
She is currently writing a book about her life.
Mahoney’s story is just one of many successes unfolding with the help of the programs offered at the new centre.
Each year the centre provides educational, recreational, creative, lunch and leisure programs and activities for about 300 people.
Brain injury survivor Dietlind Stager, who was injured in a car accident in 2000, volunteers with the centre’s glass program, where clients and volunteers create over 6,000 pieces of glass jewellery and Christmas ornaments, which are then sold in the local community to raise money for BIA programs.
Stager also helps promote the centre’s Lidz on Kidz, a child educational program that promotes wearing helmets while biking and participating in other sports.
“It’s a place that I can come to be with people who went through the same thing as me,” Stager said.
“We’re all in one location now and everybody’s together. The move gave us more space and allowed us to get some of the things on our wish list like a new kitchen and larger program rooms,” said Executive Director Patti Lehman.
“The Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington has done a fantastic job of becoming a very strong presence in this community, “ said Ruth Wilcock, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Ontario.
“It would be great if every association in Ontario could run a program like this,” she said, adding that it’s survivor-driven programs are its strongest asset, and it is viewed as a role model across the province.
“Survivors of brain injuries often lose their community, their jobs, their friends and sometimes their families. I think this is a place where they feel like productive members of the community again. They feel safe and they get support from each other. A lot of people find themselves here,” she said.
* * *
For more information on the Opportunity Centre and its programs visit www.biaww.com or call 519-579-5300.
Kitchener Citizen
October 10, 2013
When Paula Mahoney was 13 years old, she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. After being in a coma for over five weeks she woke up, but her life was never the same.
The accident left her with a brain injury. She grew up and had a child. Every day was a struggle to hold a job and to make a life for herself and her son.
“It was really hard. I was working and I was a hockey mom. When I was 38 I had a breakdown. I think it was all just too much for me,” she said.
“I was angry at everything.”
Six years ago she found the Opportunity Centre, which offers programs to adults with brain injuries run by the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington and Traverse Independence, a not-for-profit organization that provides support to people with acquired brain injuries and physical disabilities.
For ten years, the organizations ran their programs from three buildings located at a plaza at 607 King St. W. in Kitchener. On September 24, they celebrated the opening of the new Opportunity Centre at 450 Westheights Drive, Driftwood Plaza, in Kitchener, where all the centre’s programs are now operating under one roof.
“I was so angry before, but now I’m better. I like it here. I’ve made a lot of friends and found a lot of support. I learned to play the guitar and I’m in a band,” Mahoney said, adding that she also volunteers with the centre’s music and food bank programs.
These days she rides an e-bike to wherever she needs to go, and works part time in Waterloo.
“This centre is a place where I can come to help other people. It gives me a sense of value,” she said.
“I think my son is proud of me and I am going to be a grandma soon.”
She is currently writing a book about her life.
Mahoney’s story is just one of many successes unfolding with the help of the programs offered at the new centre.
Each year the centre provides educational, recreational, creative, lunch and leisure programs and activities for about 300 people.
Brain injury survivor Dietlind Stager, who was injured in a car accident in 2000, volunteers with the centre’s glass program, where clients and volunteers create over 6,000 pieces of glass jewellery and Christmas ornaments, which are then sold in the local community to raise money for BIA programs.
Stager also helps promote the centre’s Lidz on Kidz, a child educational program that promotes wearing helmets while biking and participating in other sports.
“It’s a place that I can come to be with people who went through the same thing as me,” Stager said.
“We’re all in one location now and everybody’s together. The move gave us more space and allowed us to get some of the things on our wish list like a new kitchen and larger program rooms,” said Executive Director Patti Lehman.
“The Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington has done a fantastic job of becoming a very strong presence in this community, “ said Ruth Wilcock, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Ontario.
“It would be great if every association in Ontario could run a program like this,” she said, adding that it’s survivor-driven programs are its strongest asset, and it is viewed as a role model across the province.
“Survivors of brain injuries often lose their community, their jobs, their friends and sometimes their families. I think this is a place where they feel like productive members of the community again. They feel safe and they get support from each other. A lot of people find themselves here,” she said.
* * *
For more information on the Opportunity Centre and its programs visit www.biaww.com or call 519-579-5300.
Opportunity Centre for adults with brain injuries
moves to Driftwood Plaza in Kitchener’s west end
moves to Driftwood Plaza in Kitchener’s west end
The Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington (BIAWW) and Traverse Independence’s (TI) new facility called the Opportunity Centre officially opened September 24 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The centre is located at 450 Westheights Drive in Kitchener (in Driftwood Plaza). From left: brain injury survivor Mike Cameron, Waterloo Region Chair Ken Seiling, Kitchener councillor Bil Ioannidis, BIAWW President Doug Wetheral, TI Board President Brandee Faulds, Waterloo Wellington LHIN Tony Lemon, survivor Ken Fletcher (cutting ribbon), TI CEO Toby Harris, Kitchener Centre MP Stephen Woodworth, survivor and volunteer Jean Williams.