Hello Kelly Front-Man Francois Goudreault Honored at Stuttering Foundation Gala

New York (May 8, 2012) – Lead singer for the rock band Hello Kelly, Francois “Francy” Goudreault, Jr., was honored by the Stuttering Foundation at a May 8th gala in New York to celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week and the Foundation’s 65th Anniversary as the world’s leading charitable organization helping those who stutter.

“In their song Communication Breakdown, Francy and his bandmates have set to music the struggles 68 million people around the world live each day,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation. “Francy’s message and achievement amplify hope for a new generation of people who stutter.”

Fraser presented Goudreault with the Foundation’s “Converting Awareness into Action” Award for the hope and inspiration he brings to the stuttering community.

“Providing hope is a team effort,” added Fraser. “We rely on the courage and kindness of many to showcase the talents and accomplishments of people who stutter, to inspire and to shine a spotlight on what is possible.”

Also receiving recognition for their contributions to the stuttering community were Fox News channel journalist and commentator John Stossel, author/actor/playwright Scott Damian, and NFL cornerback Ellis Lankster of the New York Jets.

“Today we honor those who have opened their hearts and lives by sharing their story and experiences as an example for all who struggle to speak,” continued Fraser.

During the past year, the understanding of stuttering increased dramatically with the Oscar-winning movie, The King’s Speech. The Foundation, building upon this, is converting awareness into action throughout its 65th year, reaching people in 136 countries around the world.

About the Foundation
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman who stuttered, went on to establish and endow 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. Please visit us at www.StutteringHelp.org.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Martin, the basketball sensation who was named to the NBA’s All Star Team in 2004, joins other famous people who stutter in a new brochure. The brochure - which unfolds into a small poster - is available free of charge from The Stuttering Foundation.

The poster is intended to give children and adults who stutter inspiration as they grapple with their speech disorder.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

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.