Our mission is to offer help, hope, and a voice for people with brain injury and their families. BIANC strives to create a better future for the approximately 188,000 North Carolinians living with brain injury through prevention, support, education, and advocacy programs. Currently, there are at least 5.3 million Americans living with a disability because of a brain injury. Every 23 seconds a traumatic brain injury occurs, and in the next year 1.4 million Americans will sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is the signature injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and many of our service members are dealing with the effects of TBI. Each person with brain injury has unique needs and recovery potential. BIANC seeks to provide survivors with appropriate and timely services in order to maximize recovery and provide for an optimal lifestyle for those who have experienced a devastating and life changing TBI. Founded in 1982 by families and concerned professionals, BIANC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization that advocates on behalf of individuals with brain injury and their families. A chartered affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America, BIANC currently has Brain Injury Resource Centers in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville, Asheville, and in Winston-Salem.