An $85,000 grant was recently accepted by the West Kootenay Brain Injury Association (WKBIA) to help offer services to clients in the East and West Kootenay regions.

The East Kootenay region will receive an additional 51.5 hours weekly of direct service delivery; $3,700 is allocated for direct programming for members; $1,000 will go toward starting a new fund for Client Services that can be used to assist members with one-time emergency needs; and $3,000 will assist staff providing services to members in remote communities with travel costs.

“The West Kootenay Brain Injury Association does vital work that improves the lives of people affected by brain injury,” Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett said in a recent press release. “This funding ensures the organization is able to maintain and expand the services it provides to clients in both East and West Kootenays, which makes a positive impact on our communities.”

In May, the B.C. government provided $3 million in funding over three years to the Brain Injury Alliance, which has distributed funding to organizations in two stages: $10,000 was provided to each of B.C.’s 16 community-based, non-profit brain injury service providers to help with operational costs during the first stage, and to help reduce the incidence of injury or directly help those affected by brain injuries in the second stage.

Brain injury organizations in B.C. receive funding based on applications for programs specific to each community’s needs.

“On behalf of the board, staff and all of WKBIA, we are excited about this opportunity to provide an exceptional level of service delivery to all of our members,” said Robyn Bogue, executive director of the West Kootenay Brain Injury Association, in the press release. “We extend our sincerest thanks to the provincial government, the Brain Injury Alliance and to our membership and families for the gift of walking with them on their recovery journey.”