| Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

Lankster: ‘Don’t quit. Go live your dream’

NFL Cornerback Ellis Lankster, of the New York Jets, was honored by the Stuttering Foundation at a May 8th gala in New York. “Ellis shows his true toughness by sharing his struggles with fluency as a child,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation.

Stossel Leads Winning Team

Renowned journalist and commentator John Stossel joined 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.

Oprah, Forbes Feature Stuttering Foundation

The Stuttering Foundation's Memphis office was flooded with calls after the April 9th issue of Forbes featured a full-page public service ad on page 103. Then Oprah Magazine ran a full-page PSA on page 99 in the May issue to trumpet National Stuttering Awareness Week. Ads also ran in AARP, Seventeen, and Redbook.

Ellis Lankster

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Summer 2012 Newsletter

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65th anniversary newsletter

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Workbook

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More News

Articles from the Stuttering Foundation's Summer Newsletter

Foundation’s Journalism Award Winners

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 20, 2012) — The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, announced its 2012 Awards for Excellence in Journalism today to celebrate stuttering awareness.

Greatest Stuttering Song

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bob Love

The late Bob Love 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.

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.

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.

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.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.