Stuttering Foundation Earns Eight Awards for Website

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The nonprofit Stuttering Foundation is the recipient of eight Parent to Parent Awards for its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, which attracts millions of visitors each month from around the world. The Website offers free resources for those who stutter, their families, and professionals working with those who stutter.

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Jane Fraser, president of the 64-year-old nonprofit organization. “Our Website is crucial to our outreach to all those who have concerns about stuttering. We are very proud that we are able to offer so many free resources on the Internet. We receive e-mails daily from people who tell us what a help our Website has been for them.”

Some of the most popular features of the Website are the list of famous people who stutter, free downloadable books and brochures, free streaming videos, facts about stuttering, myths about stuttering, and a page just for kids. In addition, the Website includes the latest news and research about stuttering, a list of libraries around the country that shelve Stuttering Foundation materials, and a directory of local speech-language pathologists who specialize in stuttering.

The Parent to Parent Life Buzz Award was given to the Stuttering Foundation in eight categories: Services, Websites, Educational Websites, Top Websites for Moms, Children’s Health & Well-being, Top 20 Websites of the Year, Top 10 Websites for 2011, and Best Websites of the Year for 2011.

This marks the first time a single organization has been honored in eight categories.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

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.

John Melendez

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

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

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.