According to Parkinson Voice Project Continuing Education And Digital Media Coordinator Katy Graves,
“An estimated 12,000 individuals are living with Parkinson’s Disease in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and ninety percent are likely to experience difficulty with speaking. Left untreated, speech issues can develop into life-threatening swallowing complications.
“Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) is a nonprofit speech therapy clinic that was founded in 2005. The clinic is located in Richardson, Texas. PVP’s mission is to preserve the speech and communication of individuals with Parkinson’s. The clinic has developed a highly effective speech treatment that combines education, individual speech therapy (Speak Out!), and ongoing group sessions (The Loud Crowd). While Parkinson Voice Project originated in the living room of its Founder, Samantha Elandary, the clinic has now trained over 7,000 speech-language pathologists and graduate students in its clinically proven speech therapy program to help even more people with Parkinson’s.
Since 2008, Parkinson Voice Project has offered its speech therapy services using the ‘Pay It Forward’ concept. The clinic does not bill insurance or charge patients for therapy services. In addition, PVP provides a Speak Out! Workbook to every person with Parkinson’s in the U.S. who is enrolled in the Speak Out! program. As of July 2021, over 17,000 workbooks have been distributed!
“Amazingly, during the pandemic, Parkinson Voice Project expanded its reach. The clinic quickly transitioned to a ‘telepractice’ and is now treating patients across the state of Texas using a HIPAA-compliant zoom platform. Teletherapy allows patients to receive Speak Out!! therapy from the comfort of their own home, eliminating the need for transportation to and from appointments.
“Starting March 2020, Parkinson Voice Project expanded its reach even more by offering free online ‘Parkinson’s Speech Exercise’ sessions Monday – Friday on its website. Through this last year of isolation, patients have still been able to build friendships and connect with others as they keep their voices strong. Over 1,000 people from around the world utilize these online sessions each day. While Parkinson Voice Project is proud of this accomplishment, there are still millions of people with Parkinson’s who need help.
“Parkinson Voice Project is grateful to the Communities Foundation of Texas for hosting North Texas Giving Day each year. All donations received through NTGD help Parkinson Voice Project provide quality speech therapy services to the Parkinson’s community free of charge.”
* Graphic/photo provided by Parkinson Voice Project ** Graphic credit: Richard McClure
In 12 years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $375 million into the North Texas community. In 2020, more than $58.8 million was raised through more than 106,000 donors benefiting over 3,200 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 23, support Parkinson Voice Project by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay