Our Mission
Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery’s mission is to provide continued rehabilitation, hope, and community for people affected by brain injury.
Recovery from a brain injury does not end when medical treatment or traditional rehabilitation is complete. Many survivors and families continue to face challenges with memory, communication, emotional well-being, relationships, and returning to everyday life.
Schurig Center is a non-medical, nonprofit organization that helps bridge that gap by providing community-based rehabilitation programs, support groups, education, and resources that empower people to continue moving forward in their recovery journey. Scholarships are available for those who demonstrate need to help ensure financial circumstances are not a barrier to receiving support.
Our programs are hosted in a community center surrounded by a beautiful garden located on the College of Marin campus in Larkspur, California. We welcome individuals and families from throughout Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area.
Helping People Live Their Best Life After Brain Injury
At Schurig Center, we believe recovery is about far more than regaining abilities. It’s about rebuilding a meaningful life. Our programs are designed to help survivors and families:
- Adapt to life after brain injury
- Better understand the effects of brain injury
- Strengthen cognitive, communication, and daily living skills
- Build confidence and independence
- Reconnect with family, friends, and community
- Discover new possibilities and renewed purpose
- Continue growing throughout the recovery journey
What We Believe
Everything we do at Schurig Center is guided by a simple belief: every person deserves the opportunity to continue healing, growing, and living a meaningful life after brain injury.
- Everyone deserves a good quality of life and access to continued rehabilitation and supportive services.
- Recovery is strengthened through connection, encouragement, and community.
- Progress, not perfection, is the measure of success in recovery.
- Every person’s strengths, experiences, and goals are unique.
- Creativity, lifelong learning, and meaningful engagement support healing.
- Compassion, collaboration, and generosity make recovery possible.
- Every individual deserves to be welcomed, respected, and accepted.
Our History
Born From One Family’s Journey
Schurig Center’s story began with one mother’s determination to ensure that no family would face brain injury alone.
In 1975, Karen Schurig’s 14-year-old daughter, Lisé, sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in Mill Valley, California. Although Lisé survived, the family’s life changed forever. At the time, very few resources existed for survivors or caregivers. Karen suddenly found herself navigating unfamiliar medical, emotional, and financial challenges without guidance or community support. Like millions of families today, she became a caregiver overnight. Rather than accepting that others would face the same isolation, Karen transformed her family’s experience into a mission of hope.
Building a Community of Hope
In 1985, Karen founded Marin Brain Injury Network (MBIN) to connect survivors and families who were searching for support, understanding, and practical resources.
What began as a small network of people helping one another gradually grew into a trusted nonprofit organization providing specialized rehabilitation, education, and support services for individuals affected by brain injury. Karen led the organization for more than two decades, building partnerships, developing innovative programs, and creating a community where survivors and families could continue healing together. Although Karen passed away in 2009, her vision continues to guide Schurig Center every day.
Schurig Center Today
Today, MBIN is now known as Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery. We serve hundreds of survivors and family members each year through rehabilitation programs, creative therapeutic classes, support groups, caregiver education, resource navigation, and community engagement.
While our organization has grown, our purpose remains the same: To ensure that people affected by brain injury have access to continued rehabilitation, hope, and community long after traditional medical care ends.
The Evolution of Our Name
- In 1985, our organization was incorporated as Marin Brain Injury Network, which continues to be our legal name.
- In 2010, we become Brain Injury Network of the Bay Area (BINBA) to reflect the reach of our services throughout the larger Bay Area.
- Today, we do business as Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery in honor our founder Karen Schurig and to highlight the healing that is possible after a brain injury.
Our Commitment to Inclusion & Connectedness
Recovery happens best in community – not in isolation. Schurig Center is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where every person feels respected, supported, and valued. We welcome individuals of all backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and financial circumstances. If your life has been changed by a brain injury, you are not alone. Schurig Center’s community is here for you.
Join Our Community
Whether you are a survivor, family caregiver, healthcare professional, volunteer, or donor, you are an important part of Schurig Center’s mission. Together, we are building a community where people affected by brain injury can continue their recovery, discover new possibilities, and move forward with hope.
▶ Explore Our Programs
▶ Refer a Patient
▶ Support Our Mission
▶ Contact Us
