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The Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance is reaching out to you every way we can! Join our Facebook page and receive updates on current MNBIA events as well as volunteer opportunities and progress on current projects.

Our Twitter feed offers daily updates about brain injury in the news as well as information on educational opportunities and public policy ventures.
Help us connect with you and build a statewide brain injury community!

Upcoming Workshops:

Brain Injury Basics: Caregiving
Date: February 28
Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Cost: $25 for Professionals; $5 donation appreciated from Consumers.

Brain Injury Basics: Introduction to Brain Injury
Date: March 21
Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Cost: $25 for Professionals; $5 donation appreciated from Consumers.

Location: All classes are held in the Education Center at the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance

To register for a class, please click here or call 612-378-2742 or 800-669-6442.

In this issue:
• Advocacy Matters
• March is Brain Injury Awareness Month
• 2013 Annual Conference for Professionals in Brain Injury

Advocacy Matters – Join us at the Minnesota State Capitol
The 2013 Minnesota Legislative Session is heating up! Over the next few months state policymakers will be setting the Minnesota state budget for the next two years and making critical decisions that will impact all of us. This means it is vital to share the real life stories of individuals and families affected by brain injury with our policymakers. We need your help:

• Join us for a Tuesday at the Capitol to share your story with legislators, attend committee hearings, and work with other citizen advocates. For more information about Tuesdays at the Capitol and how to prepare click here or contact Public Policy Intern Liz at braininjurymn@gmail.com

• Save the date for Disability Matters Day at the Capitol, which has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 25

To receive legislative updates and stay up to date on all of our advocacy events and opportunities this session, don't forget to sign up for our Advocacy Action Center at Capwiz. Otherwise, contact the Public Policy Department by phone at 612-378-2742, 800-669-6442 or by e-mail at michelleg@braininjurymn.org or jeffn@braininjurymn.org.

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March is Brain Injury Awareness Month
This year, the heart of our awareness campaign is addressing and confronting assumptions people make about those individuals living with brain injury. Whether people presume to know the limitations of those who visibly demonstrate signs of a brain injury or they assume that those who do not have outward signs of a brain injury have no limitations, confronting those assumptions is a necessary part of building a stronger brain injury community.

Visit our website for tips and ideas on spreading brain injury awareness and ending negative assumptions during Brain Injury Awareness Month.

You can also donate to the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance. Ninety-one cents of every dollar you donate supports our programs that serve individuals affected by brain injury, including our Multicultural Outreach Program, our Citizen Advocate Academy, our Speakers Bureau, and our Education Programs.

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2013 Annual Conference for Professionals in Brain Injury
Are you ready for the 2013 Annual Conference? This year's conference will take place on Thursday and Friday, April 11 and 12, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and will feature several dynamic speakers who will cover a variety of topics related to community-based, education, cultural and medical aspects of brain injury care, services and supports.

Join professionals, caregivers, advocates and providers from around the state! Alan Weintraub, M.D., and Robert G. Winningham, Ph.D., will deliver the Thursday and Friday morning keynote addresses. Lance Corporal Kyle Anderson, USMC, Casey Linstad, CTRS, and Dave Schafer MS, will be presenting at the close of the 28th Annual Conference.

Click here for complete Annual Conference information and register today!

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Classified Ad Opportunities
We are pleased to provide an online opportunity for organizations to broadcast their message about job openings, services and more through affordable, convenient advertising. This bi-weekly electronic publication is sent to more than 5,500 professionals, paraprofessionals and persons with brain injury and their families.

The cost to run a classified ad of up to 250 words is $20 for one edition or $30 for two editions. Ads must be submitted in electronic form to receive this rate. Ads submitted in hard copy will be charged an additional $15 administrative fee. To learn more about this affordable, convenient advertising opportunity, please e-mail Phil at philg@braininjurymn.org or call 612-378-2742 or 800-669-6442. Advertising is posted at the end of the publication under the heading "Classified Ads."