Kenneth Kusar

Walking for Frankie — Because Every Child Deserves a Voice

This year, I’m participating in the Pittsburgh Walk for Apraxia in honor of Frankie, the grandchild of a good friend, and in support of all the children and families whose lives are touched by childhood apraxia of speech.

Before becoming connected to Frankie’s journey, apraxia wasn’t something I knew much about—and I think that’s true for a lot of people. That’s one of the reasons this walk matters to me. It’s an opportunity to help bring attention to a condition many people have never heard of and, more importantly, to stand behind kids who are working incredibly hard to communicate.

To me, “Every child deserves a voice” means more than simply being able to speak. It means being heard, understood, supported, and having people willing to speak up on your behalf when you can’t yet do it for yourself.

I’m also walking to support some great friends who have embraced a cause that means so much to their family. Sometimes supporting the people you care about means putting on your walking shoes, showing up, and doing your small part to help.

My personal fundraising goal is $500, contributing toward the Pittsburgh Walk’s overall goal of $30,000. Funds raised help support Apraxia Kids and its work to educate families and professionals, build awareness and community, advocate for children, and invest in research.

My hope is that continued research will lead to an even better understanding of apraxia, better ways to help children make progress, and perhaps one day answers that allow us to reduce or even prevent some of the challenges these kids face.

If you’re able to donate, join the walk, or simply share the cause with someone who may not know about apraxia, you’ll be helping give these kids something pretty important:

A chance to have their voices heard.

Select amount to donate

$25

$50

$75

$100

Donate

All donations in USD

All payments are secure & encrypted

Personal Donation Organization donation

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Mailing Address

Address Line 1 *

Address Line 2

City *

Zip Code *

State/Province *

Country *

Leave a Message (Optional)

Name to appear on page (Optional)

I'd like to remain anonymous to the fundraiser

All payments are secure & encrypted

Credit Card

Cover platform costs

Total amount

All payments are secure & encrypted

My Achievements

Fundraising page

Updated Profile Pic

Added a Blog Post

Received 5 Donations

Reached Goal

Increased Target

My Updates

More Than a Walk — Helping Children Find Their Voices

Friday 14th Aug

For most of us, speaking is something we rarely have to think about. We know what we want to say, and the words simply come out.

For a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), it isn’t that simple.

CAS is a neurological motor speech disorder. Children with apraxia generally know what they want to say, but their brains have difficulty planning and programming the precise movements of the lips, tongue, jaw, and other structures needed to produce clear speech. Learning to speak can require tremendous effort, repetition, specialized therapy, and determination. citeturn249845search0turn249845search3

That is why the Walk for Apraxia is about much more than taking a walk.

The Walk is one of the ways Apraxia Kids brings families, professionals, volunteers, and communities together to celebrate children with apraxia—their “Apraxia Stars”—while raising awareness and funds to support the organization’s broader mission.

And that support has a real reach.

Apraxia Kids provides educational resources for families and speech-language professionals, helps connect families with a supportive community, promotes greater public awareness, and invests in research aimed at improving the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood apraxia of speech. Since its research grant program began in 2009, the organization has awarded more than $500,000 to CAS research projects. citeturn249845search1turn249845search7

The impact extends into education as well. In its most recent annual report, Apraxia Kids reported that 97 universities requested its free CAS curriculum, reaching more than 4,000 students preparing to enter fields where they may someday work with children with apraxia. The organization also distributed hundreds of family and community awareness resources and brought researchers and clinicians together from around the world. citeturn162074view0turn162074view4

And the Walk itself continues to build that community. In the most recently reported season, more than 850 Apraxia Stars were celebrated in 60 cities across North America, with more than 870 teams participating worldwide. citeturn162074view0

Every dollar raised, every person who walks, and every conversation about apraxia helps make this condition a little less unknown and helps strengthen the network surrounding these children and their families.

Every child deserves a voice.

By supporting the Walk for Apraxia, we can help make sure more children have the resources, research, trained professionals, and community behind them as they work to find theirs.