Fund-raiser Runs at Full Steam to Make Record Gift to Memphis Foundation

Contact: Greg Wilson
gregwilsonpr@gmail.com

Photo caption: John Tarver (second from left) and Kirk Tarver (second from right) of Shelby Railroad Services Inc. with Stuttering Foundation staff members Susie Hall (from left), Terri Jones, and Pat Hamm.

MEMPHIS (Oct. 9, 2012) — Kirk and John Tarver and their Memphis-based Shelby Railroad Services Inc. raised an astonishing $11,000 for the Memphis-based Stuttering Foundation.

Shelby Railroad held their annual fund-raising golf outing and dinner on Oct. 4 at Wedgewood Golf Club, in Olive Branch, Miss.

“This generous gift will be put to good use helping those who stutter in Memphis and around the country,” said Terri Jones, CFO of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation. "The Foundation is 65 years old this year, and this is a terrific birthday gift."

The golf outing honors Ruth McGuiness Tarver, the late mother of company president and founder John Tarver. Ruth stuttered from the time she was a young child.

“She was a great lady,” Shelby Railroad Vice President Kirk Tarver said of his grandmother. “It didn’t matter to us, but it embarrassed her. Back in the ‘30s, there wasn’t any help.”

The Stuttering Foundation closed its office early and the staff joined in the celebration.

The Stuttering Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who stutter, their families and professionals in the field of speech. The Foundation’s Web sites, www.StutteringHelp.org and www.tartamudez.org, offer free downloadable resources and streaming video. The organization also maintains a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392.

Shelby Railroad Services Inc., 3021 Shelby Drive, was founded by John Tarver in August 1974. The family owned company is committed to providing the railroad industry with the highest quality materials and construction services in the mid-south and surrounding areas. Their services include design, new construction, maintenance, repair, and the supply of rail materials and equipment.

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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.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

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Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.

Bill Withers

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Emily Blunt

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Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

Lewis Carroll

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