What Is Smile I Stutter– Dallas, TX
What is Smile I Stutter?
What Exactly Do We Do Here?
Smile I Stutter is a registered 501©3 nonprofit organization that offers speech therapy and other essential mental health services to all those with a speech impediment. We work with children and families, licensed speech pathologists, and donors in efforts to provide the best resources available. We also host events and connect those with speech problems to each other so they can provide friendship and support so everyone knows they are never alone in their journey.
Hi Everyone,
Thank you for coming to our website and I’m so glad you’re here! My name is Michael, and I am a person who stutters. Growing up in a small town, there were not many resources for a child who stutters. As a result, I grew up ashamed of who I was and how I spoke. I had nightmares about reading in front of the class and spent most of my school years being bullied, teased, and beaten up because I was different...but it didn’t stop there. In 7th grade I was in mostly honors classes and on the first day of 8th grade I was pulled out of my honors Science class and placed in the Special Needs class. That moment set the tone for my remaining years of schooling.
In 2008 I had my son, Cameron. There are a few memories that I will never forget when it comes to my little buddy. I’ll never forget the first day I held him. I’ll never forget the first time he spoke with a stutter, and I’ll also never forget the day I took him to the airport in DFW. He was a pre-teen, so he wanted to do everything himself, including answering the security questions at TSA. When he couldn’t reply like a “normal” person, the adult employees openly laughed at him and even teased him...right in front of us. When he looked at me and said, “Dad, why are they laughing at us?,” I knew I had to do something. Smile I Stutter was created that very same week.
Fast forward to 2022, Smile I Stutter has impacted the lives of adults and children from all over the world and we show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Smile I Stutter was created out of negativity but will grow in positivity and kindness. I understand what it’s like to be different. I understand what it’s like to see the facial expressions from others when you stutter. I’ve been there too, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE…