SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young has announced its first-ever LIVE Virtual Benefit Under One Moon on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM EST. This free, live stream event will be simulcast on Facebook Live (@sayorg) and YouTube (SAYorg), to raise crucial funds in support of SAY’s life-changing programs for young people who stutter. Under One Moon promises to be a star-studded spectacular of great friends, surprise appearances, and inspiring performances.

Celebrity friends currently scheduled to appear include Everett Bradley, Alex Brightman, Frank DiLella, Victor Garber, Heidi Gardner, Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann, James Monroe Iglehart, Alex Lacamoire, Helen Mirren, Greg Naughton, Kelli O’Hara, and many more, sharing a virtual stage with the kids of SAY.

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, SAY took immediate action to offer remote online access to all in-person programming to comply with social distancing regulations, and then quickly began to reimagine essential fundraising events. “It was pivotal for us to connect with our community and reassure them that SAY was here and we would never stop working to support and uplift them. Our fundraising events are an integral part of our ability to service young people who stutter and their families, so our first live virtual benefit, Under One Moon, was born,” says SAY’s Executive Director, Noah Cornman. SAY’s expanded social media outreach has included daily Camp SAY Morning Songs on Instagram Live, featuring frequent guest appearances by several of the organization’s celebrity supporters. “The incredible public response we’ve received to Morning Song really helped spark the idea for this exciting live stream benefit,” Cornman notes.

It is fitting that Under One Moon will premiere during National Stuttering Awareness Week, running from May 11-17, 2020. NSAW was conceived to shine a global light on stuttering, a complex fluency disorder that touches over 70 million people worldwide, including 5% of all children. “Children who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing and bullying, and resort to silence to hide their stutter. Many will withdraw from peers, teachers, and society, leaving them feeling isolated and alone,” states Travis Robertson, SAY’s Vice President of Programming. “This live stream virtual benefit has the potential to reach a global audience, so we are excited to celebrate the voices of young people who stutter with the world! And to help these amazing kids understand that nothing should hold them back from anything they dream of doing. National Stuttering Awareness Week is an opportune time for that message to truly resonate.”

Proceeds from Under One Moon will help SAY provide vital programming for kids and teens who stutter, including Camp SAY, Camp SAY Across the USA, Speech Therapy, Confident Voices creative arts curriculum, and the newly launched Washington DC-based SAY: DC. “SAY would not be the organization it is today without the support of so many amazing people. The funds raised by Under One Moon will help keep SAY’s life-changing, and life-saving programs available to every child who stutters. And that’s more important now than it ever has been,” Cornman adds.