Integrating Neuroscience & the Arts Inc.
The Blue Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to brain injury education, legislative advocacy, and promoting the healing power of the arts for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivors. Through partnerships with national brain injury organizations, state advisory boards, Congress, and universities, The Blue Project is building a movement that refuses to let adversity have the final word.
$19M
TBI Act funding advocated for
3×
Lobbied Congress in Washington D.C.
1,115+
Students & Professionals reached
#1
Amazon New Release — coloring book
Founded in 2023 by Alexandra de Roos — herself a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor — the organization bridges medical science and creative expression, advancing awareness and access to treatment for the 64 million Americans living with a traumatic brain injury.
The Origin
From ballet to brain injury to a national movement.
Alex didn't build The Blue Project, Inc. from a distance — she built it from the ground up after losing everything she had worked for, and turned the most painful chapter of her life into the most purposeful one.
2019
Lincoln Center & Columbia University
Performs in NYC Ballet's Sleeping Beauty, appears in the Disney+ documentary On Pointe, and begins at Columbia University — all while training toward a professional ballet contract.
2023
A Dalí Painting & an Honors Thesis
Alex transfers to USF's Honors College on a Pre-Medical Psychology track. While on a trip for one of her classes, Alex encounters Dalí's The Broken Bridge and the Dream. She writes her honors thesis — "Art: More Than Just Entertainment" — on how the arts facilitate brain injury healing. That thesis becomes the blueprint for The Blue Project.
The Blue Project Is Founded
Alex establishes The Blue Project Inc. as a 501(c)(3) She begins building partnerships, lobbying for legislation, and creating the programs that define her advocacy.
2025
Published Colorful Curtain Call
A Performing Arts Coloring Book for Kids which became an Amazon #1 Best Seller combines the joy of the performing arts with the therapeutic benefits of creative expression.
USF Involvement
As Alpha Delta Pi’s Director of Philanthropy, raised $53k for the Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay
Became a member of Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity
Recognized as “Boundless Bull’ at USF
Awarded the Seal of USF by President Rhea Law for recognition of her work
Blue Project Recognition at Miss Florida
Community Service Initiative Award Finalist
Women in Healthcare Award Winner
2017
Moves to New York City — Alone at 14
Alex leaves Tampa to train full-time at the School of American Ballet — the official feeder school for NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center. She is 14 years old and on a direct path toward a professional ballet career.
2021
A Traumatic Brain Injury Changes Everything
Alex graduates with honors from the Professional Children's School. Later in the year, a severe concussion damages Alex's frontal lobe and Broca's area — the regions governing executive function and language. After 18 months of intensive rehabilitation, the career she built her entire life for is gone.
2024
Became a member of Florida’s Brain Injury Advisory Board
Created the Florida’s Brain Injury Action Plan
Joined the Brain Injury Association of America’s Speaker’s Bureau as the youngest member
Lobbied in Washington D.C. with Brain Injury Florida
2026
Lobbied in Washington D.C. for the 3rd year with Brain Injury Florida
Received Proclamation May 7th as Concussion Awareness Day
Speaking and Programs
Alex spoke at Brain Injury Florida's Education Conference, Launched The Brain Injury Volunteer Corps Ambassador Program, Launched The Blue Bag Project, Created "The Resilience Club" Merchandise Line, and Attended the National Neurotrauma Society Conference.
Partners & Affiliations
Who we work with
The Blue Project works alongside the nation's leading brain injury organizations, state government bodies, and academic institutions to advance education, legislation, and access to care.
Brain Injury Association of America
Alex is the youngest member of the Brain Injury Association of America’s Speaker’s Bureau, advocating for brain injury awareness and education.
Brain Injury Florida
Florida's leading brain injury advocacy organization. Alex has lobbied alongside BIF in Washington D.C. three times and participated in their annual conference as a speaker.
University of Florida BRAIN Center
Provides educational resources for the Brain Injury Volunteer Corps Ambassador Program and oversees the state advisory board Alex serves on.
Florida Brain Injury Advisory Board
Overseen by UF's BRAIN Center. Alex serves as an appointed member responsible for developing Florida's Brain Injury State Action Plan.
DJ Lagway Foundation
Provides funding support for the Brain Injury Volunteer Corps Ambassador Program, through UF's BRAIN Center, enabling student ambassadors to educate communities across Florida.
Florida Blue Insurance
In active conversations regarding expansion of coverage for critical brain injury therapies — including neuropsychiatric care — to address financial barriers survivors face.
Why the arts heal the brain.
The Blue Project's work is grounded in peer-reviewed research demonstrating that creative therapies produce measurable neurological benefits for TBI survivors. Medical professionals are increasingly integrating these approaches alongside traditional physical therapy.
60%
Music Therapy & Executive Function
Studies show music therapy can improve executive function by up to 60% in brain injury patients — the same region Alex's injury damaged — enhancing behavioral regulation, memory, and cognitive recovery.
37%
Art Therapy & Trauma Symptoms
Art therapy reduces trauma-related symptoms by 37%. Self-portrait work helps patients rebuild their sense of identity — one of the most profound losses after a neurological injury.
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Dance & Neuroplasticity
Dance activates sensory systems, boosts neuroplasticity, and reconnects motor skills with cognition. Even coloring lowers cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, making creative activity both accessible and therapeutic.
Our programs
Education · Community · 2026
Launched in 2026 in collaboration with UF's BRAIN Center and funded by The DJ Lagway Foundation, the BIVC equips student ambassadors with evidence-based educational resources to teach students and athletic organizations about TBIs — how to recognize them, respond, and support survivors.
Children · Outreach · Healing
A care package initiative for children facing medical challenges. Each Blue Bag includes the Colorful Curtain Call coloring book, crayons, a stress toy, and a stuffed bear — offering encouragement, creative expression, and emotional comfort during some of the hardest moments of a young person's life.
Legislative · Washington D.C. · Ongoing
Congressional Advocacy & Legislative Reform
Alex has lobbied Congress three times alongside Brain Injury Florida, advocating for the reauthorization and $19 million in funding for the TBI Act. As a member of the Brain Injury Coalition, she is also working to amend brain injury legislation within the state of Florida.
Colorful Curtain Call
A Performing Arts Coloring Book for Kids
Published in 2025, Colorful Curtain Call: A Performing Arts Coloring Book for Kids became an Amazon #1 New Release — reaching families, classrooms, and pediatric care settings across the country. The book combines the joy of the performing arts with the therapeutic benefits of creative expression.
Research shows coloring lowers cortisol — the body's primary stress hormone. For children facing medical challenges, it is included in every Blue Bag Project care package. For everyone else, it is a joyful celebration of dance, music, and the arts.
Sold and distributed nationwide on Amazon. Every purchase supports The Blue Project's mission.
The Resilience Club
The Resilience Club was created as a reminder that resilience begins with bravery. Inspired by Alexandra de Roos' journey as a traumatic brain injury survivor and the butterfly's symbolism of transformation and growth, this collection represents strength, perseverance, and the courage to keep moving forward through life's challenges. A portion of every purchase supports The Blue Project's mission to advance brain injury awareness, education, advocacy, and support for survivors and their families. More than apparel, The Resilience Club is an invitation to wear your strength and inspire hope in others.
Fighting for every survivor.
The Blue Project's advocacy operates at both the state and national level. Alex has lobbied Congress three times, been appointed to Florida's Brain Injury Advisory Board, and is actively working to amend brain injury legislation and expand insurance coverage for neuropsychiatric care — addressing the financial barriers that prevent survivors from accessing treatment they need.