The following was written by Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., founder and President of Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI ), about the importance of supporting the nonprofit Institute’s scholarship program, which helps individuals who stutter receive advanced stuttering therapy that can dramatically change their lives.

Millennia ago, Aristotle, the Greek philosopher who attempted to record, study and expand all available knowledge, noted that speech was a most important distinguishing factor of the human organism.

We now know that freedom of speech, even though it is a political right, is not a right conveyed in nature. For those who stutter, true freedom of speech means that the tools for speaking fluently have been acquired, stabilized and retained over time.

Here at HCRI, our mission is to discover the premier tools for generating fluent speech in people who stutter. Our continuing flow of discoveries has increased the power of the Hollins Fluency Program™, and that, in turn, has increased the ease of acquiring and maintaining fluent speech by our clients. Every day we continue to study and expand our understanding of stuttering. And there is still much to be learned.

There is one important development of which we are quite proud – the HCRI Stuttering Therapy Scholarship Program.  This expanded scholarship initiative has enabled effective stuttering treatment to be received by an increasing number of persons who stutter.

We believe that one of the most important tasks we can undertake is to make our treatment program more broadly available. In order to accomplish this end, we have implemented a comprehensive scholarship program that is intended to reduce the net cost of treatment.

There is also an important research benefit that we realize. Specifically, our scholarship program allows us to work with a broader range of people than in the recent past. The power and utility of our therapy methods always benefit, as we expand the base of people with whom we work.

You can make a difference in the lives of others who stutter. You can click on this link:www.stuttering.org/donate.php and donate right now to the HCRI Stuttering Therapy Scholarship Program. The money you give goes directly to increasing therapy program availability.

As you make your contribution, please consider joining the HCRI Hollins Society, which recognizes individuals who give $1,000 or more per year. A gift of $1,000 to our scholarship program will go a long way towards helping someone attend HCRI.  Your $1,000 annual contribution amounts to $2.74 per day. This is indeed a small price to pay to bring the gift of free speech to a deserving person who is afflicted with stuttering.

For more information about HCRI, visit www.stuttering.org or  contact HCRI at 540-265-5650 oradmin@stuttering.org .