The San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) will be a prominent participant at the annual surviveHEADSTRONG Walk/Roll for Recovery, a fundraiser hosted by the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation set for March 18 at Mission Bay’s DeAnza Cove.

In addition to being a major fundraiser, the event – free and open to the public – also aims to raise awareness about brain injury. Participants are encouraged to arrive an hour before the 9 a.m. walk to allow time for registration and photos. Residents can pre-register at sdbif.org/teamabi or donate via classy.org/fundraiser/4348695.

“The San Diego College of Continuing Education is proud to be a part of this great cause,” said SDCCE President Tina M. King, Ed.D., who will be in attendance. “Brain injuries are not widely talked about and are a deeply personal experience for every family.”

SDCCE Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) instructor Heike Kessler-Heiberg formed the college’s Team ABI to partake in the event 15 years ago, and Team ABI has since become a top donor, raising more than $245,000 since 2008, including $24,000 this year.

SDCCE student and Team ABI member Mary Coleman looks forward to walking alongside her friends at the March 18 event. “This is a big accomplishment for us (brain injury survivors); we each have different mobility skills, some of us can only walk a few feet and the next year we can go farther,” she said. “It is important for the community to see us, to learn about brain injuries, and to know that free ABI classes exist.”

She added, “I didn't know about the San Diego College of Continuing Education ABI program until I needed it.”

Coleman, an English professor at San Diego City College, suffered an embolic stroke resulting in permanent left-sided weakness and a brain injury. “One day I was grading papers then the next minute I was having a stroke, and my life completely changed,” she said.  After attempting to rehab on her own for one year, Coleman enrolled at the SDCCE in 2008. There, she sharpened her communication, organization, and time management skills, and was prepared to go back to work as an English tutor at City College.

Free classes at the SDCCE support those recovering from ABI’s such as brain trauma, stroke/aneurysm, brain tumor, brain infection and anoxia. Students can enroll at any time.

To learn more about SDCCE support programs, visit https://sdcce.edu/dsps