SERVING PEOPLE WITH BRAIN-RELATED DISORDERS AND DISABILITIES

Pilot NC District Project – Camp Carefree: Located just above Greensboro in Stokesdale, NC, Camp Carefree is a key project for the Brain Injury Awareness Association of North Carolina (BIANC). The camp features room for up to 120 campers, and offers a fun-filled, rewarding experience for children with special health needs as well as for the volunteers who serve them. For the first time, Greensboro Pilots are joining with Pilots across North Carolina to support the camp as a partnering experience with BIANC.

• Scholarships: Pilot Club of Greensboro is in the midst of a 5-year partnership with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). As part of that continuing effort, $2,000 is given each year in scholarships to students studying to work with children who have special needs. Awards are made through the School of education’s Department of Specialized Education Services.

• BrainMinders: Pilot’s signature project is designed to educate children on how to protect their brain for life. Members of the Club are presenting the program to Kindergarten and First Graders. Using puppets – Gerald Giraffe, Penny Panda, Martin Monkey and Fiona Fox – we teach the children basic things they can do to protect their brains. Each child receives a coloring book about their BrainMinder Buddies and a certificate for completing the program.

• Partnership with Gateway, McIver and Haynes-Inman Schools: These three schools serve our children from ages 6 months to 22 years of age with special needs. The Pilot Club has assisted the schools with various projects. This year, the Club donated hand-made gifts for each child at the three schools to give to their parents. Members of the Club visited each school, allowed each child to choose their gift, and helped them wrap the gifts for their parents. Pictured below is one of the classes at McIver School along with several Pilots and the Principal, Sara Nachtrab, who is also a member of the Pilot Club.

• Bell House: Currently home to 22 residents, Bell House provides a residential environment for adults with brain-related disabilities. The Pilot Club members serve a series of dinners for the residents throughout the year.

• Toiletries & Food: For many years, Pilot members have collected toiletry and food items to be distributed by organizations who work directly with folks who need help. This year, these items will be distributed through Greensboro Urban Ministry and Room at the Inn of the Triad.

• Operation Santa Claus: Each year, ARC of Greensboro provides Christmas gifts for children and adults with brain-related disorders and disabilities through their Operation Santa Claus campaign. As a sponsor, Pilot members help to select and purchase items for individuals who would not otherwise receive a gift.

• Christmas Gifts for the Homebound: This is a long standing tradition for the Pilot Club of Greensboro. Instead of drawing names and buying gifts for each other, we all bring a wrapped gift for a senior citizen who is Homebound. Nurses with the Guilford County Health Department deliver the gifts to their patients.

• Alzheimer’s Association Walk: Each year in the spring the Pilot Club handles the registration on the day of the Walk. A long time supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the Pilot Club started helping with the walk several years ago.

• Shepherd’s Center: The Shepherd’s Center is all about “older adults helping older adults pursue independent and active lives of quality, enriched and supported by learning and service activities in caring fellowship.” The Pilot Club facilitates the Center’s programs through its donations.

• Friends’ Home: Each Saturday two of our members assist at the Friends’ Home on Guilford College Road. We carry trays to tables for individuals who need helping hands. This is one of our most popular projects – we love the wonderful residents at Friends’ Home!