Pilot Club marks Brain Awareness Week

By David Snow (Contact) | Demopolis Times

Published Friday, March 13, 2009

DEMOPOLIS — The Demopolis Pilot Club is promoting Brain Awareness Week for the week of March 16-22.

Begun by the Dana Alliance in 1996, Brain Awareness Week helps to focus worldwide attention on the benefits and progress of brain research. The campaign will include more than 2,000 partners in 69 countries. Pilot International has helped to expand the grassroots effort into a global initiative.

As part of this initiative, members of the Demopolis Pilot Club will visit schools around Marengo County to talk about brain safety. Members will be at Westside Elementary School in Demopolis on Wednesday, at A.L. Johnson High School in Thomaston on Friday, at John Essex High School in Demopolis on Tuesday, at Marengo Hill School in Dixon’s Mill on March 26 and at Sweet Water High School on March 27.

“This is one of the primary focuses of the Pilot Club,” said “Brain Minders” program chair Andrea Ward.

“One of the main things that we do is go around to the first-grade classes in the county and do a puppet show to teach the first-graders how to take care of their brain. We will give them coloring books and have a drawing for a bike helmet. One of the things they need to do is wear a helmet when they ride their bikes or skateboards.

“We are also putting pamphlets in doctors offices and hospitals to make people aware that they need to take care of their brains.”

On Monday, Demopolis mayor Mike Grayson signed a proclamation making the week of March 16-22 Brain Awareness Week in Demopolis. The proclamation asks the citizens of Demopolis to support Pilot International in its efforts to combat brain-related disorders and disabilities through volunteerism, education and financial support.

Pilot’s focus on helping people affected by brain-related disorders was adopted in 1992.

Since then, some 25,000 adult and youth members of Pilot International have worked together to increase awareness and raise funds for programs associated with brain-related disorders. Brain-related disorders cost the nation more than $600 billion each year.

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---