Actor, Author Scott Damian Honored at Stuttering Foundation Gala

New York (May 8, 2012) — Author, actor, and playwright Scott Damian 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 his book V-V-Voice: A Stutterer’s Odyssey, Scott explores his own personal struggles with stuttering while reminding us through his multitalented career how those obstacles can be overcome,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation. “He is an inspiration.”

Fraser presented Damian 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, recording artist Francois Goudreault, Jr., of the band Hello Kelly, 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

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.

John Melendez

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

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

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.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.