Major League Baseball Ambassodor for Brain Injury Prevention and Recovery

Tonight, Ken Collins will talk about his attempt to become Major League Baseball (MLB) Ambassodor for Brain Injury Prevention and Recovery.  Ken has been an active participant in developing community-based servcies for people with brain injuries since 1983 and as a VISTA Volunteer helped to create the first transitional living program in the US for people with brain injuries. The award winning Uhlhorn Apartments opened it's doors in 1990 and remains one of the most cost effective programs in the US to provide brain injury independent living services.  Ken has been active with brain injury prevention and awareness activities since becoming a founding member of the Oregon Head Injury Foundation in 1985.  He has held many positions over the years with city, county, state and national organizations educating people about the consequences of brain injury.  He is currently Vice-Chair of the New Mexico Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) and Program Manager at the San Juan Center for Independence-Gallup office where he provides independent living services and peer support to people/vets with brain injuries in McKinley County.   MLB recently created the Ambassodor for Inclusion and asked former minor league baseball player Billy Bean to take on this responsibility.  FOX Sports reported: Billy Bean was in Portland, Ore., when he got the call. Not the kind of call he once received as a minor-league outfielder, summoning him to the majors. No, a call that was even more significant, the first step toward baseball welcoming Bean, a publicly gay man, back to its family.   Efforts that marked a natural if belated progression for the sport of Jackie Robinson, efforts that led to Bean being named baseball’s ambassador for inclusion on July 15.  Bean, 50, had retired from baseball after the 1995 season.