Empowering Voices, Transforming Lives: Discover the Orange Effect Foundation Welcome to our blog post dedicated to the Orange Effect Foundation. We are a non-profit foundation committed to empowering children and young adults with speech disorders. In this post, we will explore the incredible work done by the foundation, the impact it has made, introduce you to the dedicated board members …
speech disorders
The Orange Effect Foundation Announces Second Quarter Grants for 2023.
The Orange Effect Foundation is proud to announce it's Second Quarter Grants for 2023. With a commitment to empowering children and young adults with speech disorders, the foundation has awarded a total of $43,254 to 21 individuals across the United States. These grants have been selected through a rigorous review process led by the dedicated members of the Orange Effect Board of Directors. …
A Speech Therapy Success Story
Adam* was six when he first walked into my speech therapy office. He had bright, curious eyes and the energy of eight children at their first sleepover. He wanted to touch every toy in the room — and he definitely wanted to talk! When he tried to speak, however, the words rumbled around his mouth like a toddler holding an open lemonade — his words were ice, unable to decide whether to stay …
Speech-Language Concerns? Don’t Wait – Evaluate!
“They’re still young - let’s just wait and see.” Coming from a pediatrician, this phrase holds a lot of power over parents worried about their child’s speech and language skills. The parents may have expressed a concern that their two-year-old hasn't started talking yet, is only saying a few words, or is very hard to understand. When the pediatrician brushes it off as not a big deal, the natural …
National Speech Language Pathologist Day
The month of May brings so many things – signs of summer, graduations, weddings, and so much more. May is also Better Hearing and Speech Month. Part of that is National Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Appreciation Day on May 18. SLPs are VERY important to us here at the Orange Effect Foundation. One example of this is that every application is required to involve a speech-language pathologist …
Board Member Spotlight: Joe Pulizzi
One of my passions is golf. Ever since I got to the age where I couldn’t hit a fastball, golf became my sport of choice. Golf was the game where I spent two hours with my dad on a Saturday morning or four hours on a Sunday with my friends. Or a random nine holes somewhere on a discounted Wednesday afternoon. For the past 20 years I’ve been in a golf league (St. Bridget’s) where I had the …
Advice for Future Speech Language Pathologists
Deciding what you want to be when you “grow up” is often one of the most difficult decisions a person makes. For some it comes easily, but from my experience most people just aren’t sure and change their mind often. In this third part of the series in which we asked our expert Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) for their feedback, we wanted to know what advice they have for someone …
What Speech Therapists Want Parents to Know
In this second part of our series, we asked our expert Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) what they wish parents knew? The question was broad, it could be what they wish parents knew about speech therapy, about their child's disorder or pretty much about anything. Even with that said, the responses we got have some pretty clear themes. The first is that your SLP is your advocate, …
THE ORANGE EFFECT FOUNDATION AWARDS SPEECH GRANTS FOR FIRST QUARTER 2023
The Orange Effect Foundation recently awarded $28,411 to 18 children across the United States with speech disorders. This quarter’s grants were awarded after a thorough review process by dedicated members of the Orange Effect Board of Directors. “It’s an amazing feeling to help children in need.” said Kristin Erbacher, Orange Effect Foundation Board Chair. “On top of funding speech …
The Top Three Reasons I Tell Someone To Get A Speech Assessment
I don’t prefer to start a post with a disclaimer, but in this case one is needed - I am not a certified Speech-Language Therapist. I don’t play one on TV either (haha). I'm just a Mom who has been fortunate to have a tremendous experience with her child's speech therapy, and is often asked by other parents if I think their child should get assessed? I give them the same disclaimer! The perfect …
How Do You Know Which Resources To Trust?
I am always happy to sit down and chat with parents and caregivers about anything related to Autism or children with special needs. I enjoy learning about the new things they are able to do because of research and technology, and am mesmerized by their passion and commitment to their children. I often sound like a broken record saying ‘wow, back when my kids were little we didn’t have anything …
What Would You Golf 100 Holes For?
I’m turning 50 this year. I’m taking it pretty well so far. The only new thing I have committed to is running my first marathon. I’m following a pretty strict training schedule so that I can actually finish the entire 26.2 miles. Another “marathon” I have done the past three years is Orange Effect’s 100 Holes of Golf fundraiser. Trust me, trying to complete 100 holes of golf in ONE day is …