Powell River Brain Injury Society

Powell River Brain Injury Society Providing support & services to adults with acquired brain injury. Promoting prevention, recovery, education, awareness & life beyond acquired brain injury.

Brain Injury Society History

Early in the 1990′s a public health nurse named Penny Mebs received the news that one of her sons had been in a crash and had sustained an acquired brain injury. She set about the task of finding information and learning all she could about brain injury including symptoms, impact, duration and other things she would need to know in order to help with her son’s recover

y. Despite Penny being a nurse, her daughter being a nurse and her daughter in law being a nurse, there was not much information they could find. There was no one to tell them what to expect, how long the recovery would take, what the recovery would look like, if there would be a recovery and what kind of treatment was available or if any treatment would be successful. Penny decided to do something pro-active and learned everything she could about brain injury and started a monthly support group for persons in the community who were in the same position as she was. With the help of Eunice Boser, another mother with a son who was diagnosed with brain injury they advertised the support group and for twelve years Penny continued to meet monthly with persons who were living with a brain injury, their family members, friends and caregivers. Penny had been to Phoenix, Arizona with her son to a state of the art rehab facility for brain injury and continued her education while there. At the support meetings she brought information to share with members of the group and was always there when someone needed to talk about brain injury. Penny became the foremost expert on acquired brain injury in Powell River and represented our community at provincial and national conferences. She is still called to this day to provide answers to questions about acquired brain injury. In 2003 she received funds to create a Society. Despite being caught in a bureaucratic Catch-22 about receiving the funds (she couldn’t take the money to form a society unless she was a society) a program manager was hired and the process continued. Debbie Dee became their first Program Manager in September 2003 and set about the task of filling in forms and getting incorporation as a society, then federal registry as a charity. Debbie worked tirelessly to build the Society to what is has become by immersing herself in educational material and attending all training workshops, courses, conferences and seminars she could. She continues to provide invaluable service both administratively and professionally, having a degree in Music Therapy. Debbie acts as executive director, group facilitator, program creator, fundraiser, therapist, counselor, coffee maker, artist, secretary, janitor, gatekeeper and much much more. She has become a true friend and champion for persons living with the effects of acquired brain injury. The Society now boasts service and support programs that cover a wide rage of identified needs including social isolation, cognitive enhancement, peer support and more. The Society has prevention programs, community education and awareness programs and is always ready to meet the ever changing needs of the members. The Society has grown from that once a month support group to “The Center for Acquired Brain Injury” in Powell River and serves a membership of 150 and growing. The motto of the Society is “Life beyond acquired brain injury” and Debbie, her board of directors and volunteers all help to keep the Center vibrant and growing. For more information about services and programs are currently available, click here.

Reminder folks: We are CLOSED for Labour Day Monday September 7th. We will open again on Tuesday September 8th, 9am-4pm...
09/04/2026

Reminder folks: We are CLOSED for Labour Day Monday September 7th. We will open again on Tuesday September 8th, 9am-4pm.
Have a safe weekend!

As we wrap up Brain Injury Awareness Month, we wanted to take a moment to thank the local businesses around town that su...
06/30/2026

As we wrap up Brain Injury Awareness Month, we wanted to take a moment to thank the local businesses around town that supported our efforts through donating their products, hosting information, collecting donations or hosting a fundraiser. Thank you to everyone for coming together to make our community stronger!

Calling all walkers! Brain Injury Clients will meet down at Willingdon for a leisurely stroll on the path. Join us at 1...
06/30/2026

Calling all walkers! Brain Injury Clients will meet down at Willingdon for a leisurely stroll on the path. Join us at 11am!
See you there!

Great kids book just released modeling how kids can have fun and be active all while protecting their brains. The pictu...
06/26/2026

Great kids book just released modeling how kids can have fun and be active all while protecting their brains. The pictures are cute, the information is fun to engage with and oh so important to share!

What is the role of the Board? Board members are the governance body of an organization. They set our priorities and p...
06/26/2026

What is the role of the Board? Board members are the governance body of an organization. They set our priorities and provide strategic oversight for the organization. They are very important to ensuring our organization meets the needs of clients and families. If you can make it, come out today for the AGM and vote for board members who best represent your values!

If you're looking to get some exercise, meet us down at Willingdon in 10mins!
06/23/2026

If you're looking to get some exercise, meet us down at Willingdon in 10mins!

Look for these faces in The Peak - voice of the qathet region. Learn what's going on at the Brain Injury Society, how w...
06/23/2026

Look for these faces in The Peak - voice of the qathet region. Learn what's going on at the Brain Injury Society, how we are working to support folks with brain injuries, and to educate the broader community about brain health, prevention and recovery.

If you're interested in learning more about our shared history and Indigenous perspectives, check out this event at Max ...
06/17/2026

If you're interested in learning more about our shared history and Indigenous perspectives, check out this event at Max Cameron!

Do you have a question for our guest speakers at this event? Submit your question in advance when you register through EventBrite. A submission form will appear after you reserve your spot.

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join guest speakers Kelly Lindsay and Prof. Keith Thor Carlson for an informative discussion of the legal and historical contexts of Aboriginal Title and private property rights in BC.

All are welcome. FREE admission.

Monday, June 22, 2026 - 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Reserve your spot and submit a question:

https://AboriginalTitle_VIU.eventbrite.ca

Thank you to Jayme and the Powell River Public Library team for putting together a collection of library books that talk...
06/17/2026

Thank you to Jayme and the Powell River Public Library team for putting together a collection of library books that talk about brain injury for Brain Injury Awareness Month. There is a great variety from memoir to cooking!

As we enter our 3rd week of Brain Injury Awareness month we'd like to share some facts about youth and brain injury. Th...
06/16/2026

As we enter our 3rd week of Brain Injury Awareness month we'd like to share some facts about youth and brain injury. The Brain Injury Society went into classes across the qathet School District to teach kids about their brains, brain injury and recovery this year. Looking forward to working with more students in 2026/2027!

Address

7020 Duncan Street # 101
Powell River, BC
V8A1V9

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 12am - 4am
9am - 4pm
Wednesday 12am - 4am
9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 12am - 4am
9am - 4pm

Telephone

604-485-6065

Website

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