As we wrap up the year, we would like to take this moment to reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026. We truly appreciate your ongoing support of our initiatives, and we extend a special thank you to the local medical community for keeping us safe and healthy. Click through the slide show above for some images throughout the year.

2025 Accomplishments

Awareness Committee: We held seven in-person meetings, with attendance varying between six and ten participants for each session. Learn more.

Support Group: We have conducted ten monthly meetings, with an average of 14 participants attending each session on ZOOM. Since the group started in February 2014, we have held a total of 114 meetings. To date, 122 survivors, 105 family supporters, and 71 medical professionals have participated in one or more meetings, bringing the total participation to over 1,633 individuals. We thank Casey Rogers for taking on the job of facilitating the meetings and being an active member of the Awareness Committee as well. Learn more.

KAT-Walk & Karo-5k: The 17th annual walk/5k was held on September 21st at Payson Park. The weather was perfect, and we were fortunate to have a great setup and teardown crew. Over 260 people participated, including 24 survivors with their families. Five $2,000 scholarships and three Neuro-Nursing $400 scholarships were awarded. 14 teams were recognized, with Team Karolina emerging as this year’s top fundraiser, having donated over $7,000. Team Cheyanne came in second with a donation of $2,500, and Team Amy rounded out the top three with a donation of $1,700. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Platinum sponsor, Pete Geiger from the Farmers Almanac, and all the other sponsors for their unwavering support of this event. In total, over $22,000 was raised for Maine Brain Aneurysm Awareness. We thank the more than 30 committee members, families and volunteers that helped make this event so meaningful to so many. Learn more.

SAVE THE DATE! We have reserved Sunday, September 20th at Payson Park for next year’s walk.

Community Outreach and Awareness

MARCH: We staffed our Brain Aneurysm Awareness exhibit booth at the Brain Resource Fair in Augusta that attracted more than 50 exhibitors and 300 attendees. Learn more.

APRIL: We had the opportunity for a booth at the annual UNE Brain Fair in Biddeford.

MAY: We were a sponsor of the first Northern Maine Brain Injury Conference in Presque Isle.

AUGUST: We held a Sea Dogs day at the Park and had the opportunity to walk the field, take pictures with our awareness banner, and had a good time together cheering on the home team. Learn more.

SEPTEMBER: As part of Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, we had the opportunity to appear on ARC Maine (Fox 23/WGME) for a 5 minute segment to talk about brain aneurysms and promote the walk. Watch video.

Brain Aneurysm Awareness

Our website continues to provide valuable information and awareness as well as being an exhaustive repository of photos and write-ups of the organizations 17 year history and events held. Sign up as a subscriber to our News Blog to receive notifications when a new post is added.

We started a new Shared Stories section on the website where we invite survivors, family members, and advocates to share their personal stories of hope, resilience, and recovery. Your voice can make a difference in someone’s life. Learn more.

Our Facebook and Instagram accounts are updated regularly and we encourage everyone to Like and Follow our pages.

This year, our major awareness effort (and expense) was partnering with the Portland Sea Dogs for our 16 foot billboard banner in the ballpark. An average of 6,000 spectators at 69 home games provided a huge audience as they enjoyed the game and saw our Brain Aneurysm Awareness billboard prominently displayed in the outfield. Learn more.

2025 Initiatives

Thanks to YOUR hard work and support, we were able to contribute over $35,000 back to our community in Maine this year and meet our annual initiatives.

• SCHOLARSHIPS: We had 29 applicants for the five $2,000 Scholarships awarded to students from the Maine colleges offering courses in the Medical and Healthcare field. These $2,000 scholarships are named in honor of Kimberly Tudor (KAT), Karolina Kurka (Karo), Cheyanne Audet, Jessica Heath, and a survivor funded scholarship. Learn more.
• NEW THIS YEAR: In addition to our annual scholarships, we established the $25,000 Maine Medical Center Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fund enabled us to provide financial support for three scholars who successfully passed their CNRN exams this year. All three recipients attended the walk, and presentations were made during the opening ceremonies. The endowment fund will continue to provide Neuro Scholarships annually indefinitely. Learn more.
• FAMILY ASSISTANCE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUND: We continued our revolving fund to help Maine families affected by brain aneurysms and stroke. We donated over $3,000 as we helped families with expenses and made donations to other Maine-based brain injury organizations.
• RESEARCH GRANT: No Research Grant was made this year, but in its place, we fully sponsored the Neuro Science Symposium at Maine Medical Center in January. This full-day event was offered to Neuro ICU nurses and doctors and featured an impressive panel of presenters sharing the latest research advancements from the past to the present. Seven of our committee members attended, and several spoke at the conference. Learn more.

We will be funding another similar Neuro Symposium on March 6, 2026 at Maine Medical Center.

Goals for 2026

• Continue to fund our initiatives through Scholarships, Family Financial Assistance, and Research Grants.
• Increase numbers of survivors and supporters participating at monthly Support Group meetings.
• Participate in medical conferences and other opportunities to connect with the community and raise awareness.
• Continue to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of Brain Aneurysms with the ultimate goal of saving lives and the quality of those lives. Learn more.

A heartfelt thank you to all for making 2025 a success, and we look forward to 2026!