In September, the OAPWS (Ottawa Association for People Who Stutter) self-help group got together again after taking the summer off. Again meeting on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, there is a core group of about 6 people who regularly attend. On a good night, there are 8 or 9 of us.
We discussed what we should do for the year in the out-reach and fund-raising areas, and decided, among other things, to approach the Ottawa Family Cinema and discuss if we could be associated with a showing of the documentary film ‘Bully’. They thought it was a wonderful idea and we are presently selling advance tickets to this showing on November 23rd.
Any admission profits from this event will go to the Marie Poulos Bursary Fund, a fund dedicated to helping those individuals in financial need to obtain speech therapy at the Stuttering Clinic at the Rehab Centre here in Ottawa. Word of this showing has been spread by the press (Norm was interviewed by Capital City News, a weekly paper here in Ottawa), by city councilors through their website newsletters, by city recreation centres and by posters being circulated and posted around town.
We were also asked once again to speak to the first-year class of aspiring speech-language pathologists and audiologists at Ottawa University. This, Laura Artuso and Norm, did early in September. As a result of this effort, word has gotten out and we have been asked by the Ottawa Public Library to do a presentation as part of their public lecture series. We agreed to do this, and will be part of their April 2013 program.
One of our members, Tania Kamienski, is a member of a Toastmaster group, and is using the skills she has learned from that organization to speak to people to promote both our group and those endeavours mentioned above. Her husband, David Burton, seems to be everywhere, speaking to people, putting up posters, making sure tickets for the film are out there and available to those who ask. A new member, Frank Imbleau, is a house painter, and is developing a new website. When doing up his website, he said he was going to put a link to our group, with the words ‘proud member of the OAPWS’.
Bev is getting ready to join the ranks of us retired folk, and is doing all she can for the group. Similarly for Brendon, except he is just starting out in his working career after finishing his studies at Carleton, and has now landed solid employment. A great deal of stress for both, but through it all, they have been there week in and week out for the group.
A big ‘thank you’ goes to Stewart Clayton, who is our webmaster, and who keeps our website going. He claims he doesn’t do much, but we all know differently.
Others come out when they can, and it’s always a pleasure to see them. They all add so much to the group and their input on what we do is invaluable.
But foremost, we are helping ourselves and each other by meeting and practicing those techniques that we to use to maintain any degree of fluency. In helping others, we help ourselves.