Stuttering Foundation's 25th Annual Media Awards Competition

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Greg Wilson 
greg@curleycompany.com
(571) 239-7474

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 7, 2016) — For the 25th consecutive year, the Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, announces it will recognize journalists for excellence in reporting that furthers the understanding of this complex disorder.

“Coverage by the media is essential to spreading information, help and hope to the 70 million people around the world who stutter,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Foundation. “More importantly, news articles, opinion columns, radio and television segments, blog posts and podcasts help the public to understand the complexities of the disorder. We want to continue to recognize outstanding reporting.”

The 25th annual Stuttering Foundation Awards will be given to journalists in three categories: print (books, newspapers, and magazines), electronic media (radio, TV, and streaming video), and Internet (Web sites, blogs, and electronic publications). The awards will recognize news stories that:

• Advanced the public’s understanding of stuttering;
• Introduced information on stuttering to a significant new audience.

Journalists are invited to submit copies, DVDs, and printed Web/blog pages of their news items to the Stuttering Foundation, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749. Submissions may also be e-mailed to info@stutteringhelp.org. All entries must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2015, and July 31, 2016. All entries must be received by Oct. 1, 2016. There is no charge to enter this competition. For more information, call 901-761-0343. The winners will be announced during International Stuttering Awareness Day, Oct. 22, 2016. The nonprofit Stuttering Foundation has provided help to those who stutter since 1947. For more information, call 800-993-9392 or visit www.StutteringHelp.org.

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Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser  
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin Centre, London.

About the Stuttering Foundation  
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, established and endowed the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

King George

In November 2010, worldwide movie audiences were presented with a most interesting and unusual movie release with The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, history may have forgotten the courageous and inspiring story of Prince Albert who stuttered badly and never dreamed that he would ever be king when his older brother, King Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.