BIAD Art Club: Where the boundaries between brain injury and creativity crumble

Although I haven't outright said it, I do support the nonprofit for which I work: the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD). At BIAD, we've been working hard to find out what we can do to help people take charge of their own lives - even if it's not completely at first - so that they can begin to build their own self-esteem.

My last ten bucks of the year will be given to BIAD's Art Club in memory of Mr. Bob Crowley.

The BIAD Art Club was conceived by Tracey Landmann, one of the board members of BIAD. Together with the Gibby Art Center and Art Therapy Express Program, Inc., we put together the BIAD Art Club Program - she worked on the concept and the research - I worked on writing for grants. We got some help from DFRC and the DDC - a local foundation and a state agency that gets money from the federal government help people gain their independence.


The BIAD Art Club Pilot Program was a success in many ways. To see smiles on everyone's faces and watch as they produced art was an emotional experience for me. I saw people enjoy the company of others, as well... even two men who didn't get along were speaking more frequently. Art has since become a major factor in their lives.

One of our artists, Bob Crowley, passed away after the 7th Art Club session. He had suffered a stroke about a year prior to his enrollment in the BIAD Art Club and had been struggling with complications from pneumonia. He was non-verbal, but understood all of what was happening around him. His sister, Dr. Jane Crowley, is a member of our Advisory Board and enrolled him because she loved him. I watched as he worked to construct a model of the Coliseum, experimented with pastels, and quite simply, enjoyed the process of creating something. In honor of his sister, he named his character Jane. (Jane - or Janus Flavius - was a rat that lived in the Coliseum). Bob's nephew was his caregiver, he sat and doodled on his arms and clothes while Bob plugged away at his projects.

I vividly remember the Sunday morning when Tracey called me to tell me that he had passed away. We were camping, and I cried hysterically at the small table while my best friend Liz sat with me. I was so heartbroken. After the shock wore off, I was grateful that I had been able to meet Bob and see him enjoy his experience working with clay and using his art supplies to his heart's content.

I am making a donation of ten bucks to the 2012 BIAD Art Club in Bob Crowley's name because he embodied the BIAD Art Club's intent - to bring together people with similar challenges in order to inspire them to create - to remember that their disability doesn't stop their creativity. I believe in the Art Club and want it to flourish.

Make your own donation to the BIAD Art Club by clicking on the green "donate" button at www.biade.org. You can also send a check to BIAD, P.O. Box 1897, Dover DE 19903. Call 1-800-411-0505 for more information.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.

Money? Who needs it?

Working in the nonprofit field doesn't have a lot of monetary perks. Most of us live in poverty right alongside the people for whom we advocate. I haven't had a raise since I was hired in 2008, but I've never asked for one. I've got $200 in my bank account right now, and I'm still better off than most of the people I serve. In a few months, when my divorce is finalized, I won't have health insurance, and then we'll be even.

No biggie.

There are certain benefits that my employer, the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD), couldn't buy from a health or life insurance company. They couldn't list these benefits on a job advertisement. They couldn't even say for sure that I'd receive them. That's because the benefits I'm talking about are not monetary, but they are invaluable and life-changing.

I recently sat in on a meeting with several executive directors who were talking about - among other things - employee recruitment. One man told about receiving a resume from an M.I.T. graduate who had all sorts of experience and - he thought - would expect a very high salary. Upon calling the applicant and asking her if she was sure she had meant to apply to his nonprofit, and telling her that he knew he couldn't afford to employ her, she said, "I just want to work for [your organization]. I don't care about the pay. I want to believe in my work." Flabbergasted, the executive director arranged for an interview and hired her - at an extraordinarily low rate - on the spot. She's still employed there, and is one of his best employees.

Two months ago, I took a call from an anonymous out-of-state woman who suspected she sustained a brain injury after being beaten repeatedly by her husband. I listened and cried with her, felt her fear and anguish, and begged her to have the courage to leave. Just before that, a man called me in utter confusion because he couldn't figure out how to request his military records in order to apply for a TBI reassessment. I spent ten minutes on the phone with him, filling out online forms, and talking him through the process. The challenge of trying to meet their needs makes me bust my ass, stretch myself, and ultimately, grow.

Although I am fairly certain I won't retire a wealthy woman, I'm aware that the long-term benefits of serving my community will enhance my life to the point that I won't care. I've worked for BIAD for the past three years, and I've seen myself develop beyond my own expectations. I've embraced and adopted aspects of my own character that I put to use to advocate for people who are lost or scared or hurt. And I wouldn't change it for the world. I actually feel bad for people who chase "the almighty buck" every day and don't even know what they're missing.

Money is great, but it's not the reason I'm committed to BIAD, and to valuable local nonprofits. Self-discovery and self-awareness are the payoff. And by working within this field, I've discovered a stronger, resourceful side of myself that will get me through the rest of my life just fine.

The Magic Number: 501(c)(3)

You may have seen the number 501(c)(3) and wondered, "What does that really mean?"

All of the charities featured on this blog are 501(c) nonprofit agencies, which means that donations to them are tax deductible (you can claim them on your tax return). There are many types of 501(c) nonprofits, ranging from 501(c)(1) (corporations organized under act of congress) to 501(c)(28) (National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust). Most of the charities profiled on this blog are neatly categorized as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

The 501(c)(3) category denotes that the organization is based on religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

501(c)(3) status means that the nonprofit has been incorporated and certified with the IRS as tax-exempt, in other words, the organization does not pay taxes on the contributions it receives from the general public. Furthermore, the 501(c)(3) status also means that the nonprofit has filed a recent 990 or 990-N with the IRS, an annual filing much like your 1040 or 1040-EZ. In 2010, the IRS decided that any organization that didn't file its 990 or 990-N would lose their 501(c)(3) status. (You should have seen how many emails and phone calls I got about this. No worries: BIAD files its 990 annually without fail.) 501(c)(3) status also requires a certain level of compliance with government regulations, including proper acceptance of contributions and documentation thereof. These nonprofits are also limited in their ability to lobby government officials, as well as limiting their support of one political candidate or another. The challenge for nonprofits is to maintain its good standing with the community, its consumers, and the IRS.

For nonprofits, the 501(c)(3) status is a validation for its corporate sponsorships, foundations, and other sources of funding. Effectively, 501(c)(3) status is much like a key that opens many doors. Without this IRS determination, it would be fairly difficult for a nonprofit to conduct business at its fullest capacity. Usually, unless I can prove my charity's nonprofit status, I can't even fill out an application for funding.

More information on charity tax-exemptions can be found at http://www.irs.gov/charities/content/0,,id=125361,00.html.