Who We Support
The Minnesota Stroke Association strives to enhance the quality of life for all Minnesotans coping with the sudden and long-term effects of stroke.
The Minnesota Stroke Association began in 1992 as a non profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of stroke and providing advocacy services. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors made up of stroke survivors, persons with brain injury, family members and professionals in the field, the mission of the Minnesota Stroke Association is to raise awareness about stroke and enhance the quality of life for all people coping with its sudden and long-term effects.
In 2010, the Minnesota Stroke Association and the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance merged, bringing together expertise and knowledge to serve individuals with stroke and brain injury in Minnesota and offers services and supports in a variety of categories.
Advocacy – Grassroots advocacy and a Citizen Advocate education and training program.
Education – Group and individual discussions led by professional health advocates, stroke survivors, and/or care partners.
Multicultural Outreach – Connects diverse and under-served communities to support services and provides access to bilingual staff and interpreters.
Resource Facilitation – FREE, two-year telephone support assisting people in navigating life after stroke. Individuals can be referred by a professional or self-refer at anytime. Provides access to bilingual staff and access to interpreters.
Public Awareness – Increases awareness of stroke causes and symptoms through outreach and media activities. Publishes a quarterly newsletter, Resource Guide, website and other publications.
Volunteering – Offers one-time or ongoing volunteer opportunities and workplace experience as well as an opportunity for stroke survivors to socialize and further develop individual skills. Individuals also can volunteer through the Speakers Bureau program, allowing them to tell their personal story about stroke and the Minnesota Stroke Association to communities throughout Minnesota.
The Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance is dedicated to raising the awareness and enhancing the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. Founded in 1984 by a small group of families and providers, the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance is the only statewide nonprofit dedicated to assisting Minnesotans affected by brain injury.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, the Alliance serves people throughout Minnesota. The Alliance employs a professional staff of 47 and hundreds of volunteers work to further our mission to enhance the quality of life and bring the promise of a better tomorrow for all people affected by brain injury. Our goal is to work towards a world where all avoidable brain injuries are prevented, all non-preventable brain injuries are minimized, and all individuals who have experienced brain injury can maximize their quality of life.
The Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance offers support to Minnesotans affected by brain injury through:
- Advocacy and public policy
- Resource Facilitation services, which provide personal one-on-one connection to information and resources
- Case management for individuals on TBI or CADI waivers
- Statewide educational opportunities
- Outreach to underserved and communities of color throughout Minnesota
- Statewide volunteer opportunities
Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes the muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. It affects 300,000 people in the United States alone, and there is no cure. But there is hope – and treatment.
Founded in1976, the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving all people with dystonia and their families. Since its inception, the DMRF has grown from a small family-based foundation into a dynamic membership-driven organization led by a Board of Directors and network of volunteers with personal connections to dystonia. Because dystonia hits so close to home for their directors and volunteers, the DMRF leadership is motivated by an unrelenting drive to find a cure and an unwavering commitment to serving people affected by dystonia.
Courage Center (now known as Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute) provides a continuum of rehabilitation services for people with short and long term conditions, injuries and disabilities in communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The Institute’s goal is to improve health outcomes, make it easier for clients and families to get the right services for their needs, and reduce costs by preventing complications. Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute has multiple locations, and numerous programs and services.
What if you had cancer? What would you do if the water was shut off? What if you couldn’t pay your mortgage? What if you were too sick to go to work?
For many women, these questions are not hypothetical. They are real. Even people with health insurance often struggle financial during cancer treatment. Many of them face high deductibles and co-payments. Some become too sick to work and it is not uncommon for women to lose their jobs during treatment. Unanticipated expenses and lost income can quickly put these women behind on their bills. But there is help!
Pay It Forward fund is a non-profit organization that helps patients pay their bills while they undergo treatment for breast and women’s cancers. We pay essential living expenses so patients can focus on what’s really important – getting well.
CaringBridge offers protected websites for connecting people when it matters most. It is a nonprofit supported by people all over America and serves over 500,000 people every day.
Since 1996, Interact’s mission to create art that challenges perceptions of disability has opened doors for artists with disabilities and audiences eager to experience their work, who might never have seen the arts as a life choice, but who now see the arts as essential to their humanity. With over 125 artists working in theater and/or studio arts, Interact is multi-cultural, intergenerational, and embraces the entire spectrum of disability labels.
Interact’s work is driven by a vision of radical inclusion. We collaborate with artists with and without disabilities, from mainstream and marginalized communities, whose stories and life experiences are the grist for our original, ensemble-generated theatrical work, and inspire the spectrum of media that are created in our studio. Interact was the first – and remains the only –visual and performing arts organization for artists with disabilities, nationally or internationally, that is creating full-time at the professional level, and sharing exciting seasons of performances and exhibitions with our audiences.
Aaron Holm lost both of his legs in a horrific accident on January 2, 2007. But what shattered his body failed to dent his courage, strength and infectious optimism. He’s been helping others regain their positive energy and spirit ever since. Armed with a laptop and a cellphone, Aaron started Wiggle Your Toes from his hospital bed. He educated himself, formed teams of friends and loved ones, and began charting a course to his new normal. Aaron returned home after only 19 days, joined his three children upstairs, and read them a story that night. Aaron and his dedicated team built Wiggle Your Toes so others could not just get by but live life to its fullest. Through personalized support, practical answers, resources and tools, Wiggle Your Toes helps amputees in Minnesota and beyond keep looking and moving forward.
Rob Rieckenberg was involved in an incident in June 2005 when he lost his right leg above the knee. He was the first amputee to visit Aaron and his family in the hospital after Aaron’s accident; they have a good friend in common. Rob had many questions about amputation while he was in the hospital and these were never addressed. He wanted to make sure Aaron ‘s concerns were answered! Wiggle Your Toes has given Rob the opportunity to carry on this help with other amputees. Rob has been involved in the financial industry for 8 years. He and his father started an insurance agency, Health and Wealth Advisors and in 2008 they joined MidCountry Bank, where he handles all of the health insurance for all of there 15 locations, along with individual, commercial, and other insurance services in their twin cities’ locations. Rob also teaches insurance principals and other continuing education insurance classes for Kaplan Professional Schools, formerly Prosource Dearborn, for the past 7 years. Since he began teaching, he has taught over 14,000 students. Rob grew up in Delano, MN and graduated from Gustavus Adolpus College in 2000, with a Bachelors of Organizational Management. He played football for the Gusties all 4 years and stays involved with the program and Gustavus. Rob currently lives in Minneapolis where he still enjoys playing softball with former college football buddies and other outdoor activities. He spends lots of time with his family, friends, and just loving life.