Dear Friends of BART,
At year-end, we want to provide you with an overview of our activities for 2024. We hope you will make a tax-deductible contribution for this year or next. Your support allows us to fulfill our mission of helping TBI/ABI survivors and their families learn more about effective alternative treatments. https://www.thebartfoundation.org/donate/
Accomplishments for 2024, Work to Do for 2025!
HBOT for NYS Veterans
Most remarkable of all, working with TreatNow.org and others, we spearheaded an effort to get a bill passed in NYS to fund HBOT for veterans with TBI/PTSD. There are roughly 35,716 veterans in NY who would qualify! The bill is “S9303/A10033, which established a hyperbaric oxygen therapy pilot program to treat veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.” There is a fighting chance of seeing the bill passed and funded this coming year. If you know anyone in the NYS Legislature or Governor’s office, please tell them you support the bill. This has been a long-term goal of BART since 2015 when Bart and I testified to the Joint Health committees of the NYS legislature.
Our Social Media Reach is Growing
Throughout 2024, we continued developing our video resources on our website and YouTube channel. Thought leaders in each therapy have graciously agreed to be interviewed for these lively, informative presentations, which may be more accessible for some than written works. Our YouTube channel has 549 subscribers and 21 videos. Six have been viewed over 1,000 times, three over 5,000, one over 6,000, and one over 8,000 times. https://www.youtube.com/@bart-foundation
Our Facebook page continues to grow! On average, we reach over 20,000 people monthly, with over 3,500 post engagements and over 3,000 followers. https://www.facebook.com/theBARTFoundation/
Alternative Therapies Webinar Series Continues
We introduced an innovative series of webinars featuring leading figures in alternative therapies. Audience participation is invited, and then the webinars are archived for viewing on YouTube, Facebook, and our website. This allows us to reach ever wider circles within the brain injury community. Some of our recent guests have been Dr. Perry Perretz on Oxygen’s Role in Healing, Anita Saltmarche on Photobiomodulation, and Dr. Ronald Swatzyna on Integrating Neurofeedback with PBM and other therapies. On January 7, we will be hosting Dr. Robert Beckman, Founder of TreatNow.org. Stay tuned for more webinars in 2025!
Recognition from GuideStar/Candid
GuideStar/Candid continues to recognize The BART Foundation with its Gold Star Seal of Transparency. As the premier organization that assesses and rates charities, the Gold Seal level is only given to the top-ranking 1% of millions of 501(c)(3) s. Knowledgeable donors consult rankings to determine the trustworthiness of a charity. This accomplishment is a tribute to our board members’ hard work and our loyal supporters.
Promoting Our Popular Website Resources
The BART Foundation continues to promote user-friendly information about TBI/ABI on our website. Our Understanding Brain Injuries page is ideal for family and friends who want to understand better what these terms mean and how they impact a person. Please share this with those in your network who may benefit from it! https://www.thebartfoundation.org/understanding-brain-injuries/
Our Barlean’s Oil Scholarship, which puts Omega-3 oil into the hands of TBI/ABI survivors who could not otherwise afford it, is the first of its kind! While Barlean’s is not keeping metrics, we continue to hear from grateful recipients, who marvel at the ease of use and flexibility. (The program also includes free home delivery).
Our website’s News Blog has become one of the most useful resources for alternative therapies. We cover clinical trials and studies on our six official alternatives and feature emerging therapies that are not quite ready for primetime but worthy of our “watch list” – like transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy (TMS), branched-chain amino acids therapy (BCAA), and others. https://www.thebartfoundation.org/category/news/
Spreading Awareness to Address Undercounting
We believe that there is a vast undercounting of persons with TBI, including victims of partner abuse, homeless individuals, incarcerated persons, and even some high school and college athletes. We are focusing on this area and regularly provide updated information. (E.g., Studies show as many as 50% to 80% of prisoners suffer from mostly undiagnosed TBIs!). https://www.thebartfoundation.org/connecting-tbi-and-domestic-violence/
Thank You for Your Interest and Support!
Please let us know if you have questions or feedback about our yearly update. Your love and support are a boon to us always. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our mission of researching and advocating for safe alternative therapies for ABI/TBI. As a 501(c)(3) educational charity with minuscule overhead, donations go almost entirely to further our mission. https://www.thebartfoundation.org/donate/
Stay safe and well. Warmest of holiday greetings from your sisters and brothers in brain injury,
Joel, Dayle, and The BART Foundation team (Nico, included)
Guidestar Seal of Transparency
