Annual Newsletter | 2014

The stars of

ISTAR is an academic institute of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, U of A

Institute for Stuttering Treatment and ResearchSuite 1500, College Plaza8215 112 StreetEdmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2C8

T: 780.492.2619F: 780.492.8457

E: ISTAR@ualberta.cawww.ISTAR.ualberta.ca

@ISTAR_UofA

ISTAR STAffDeryk Beal, Executive DirectorMarilyn Langevin, Director of ResearchHolly Lomheim, Clinical Director & Alberta Elks Foundation Clinical ChairElizabeth Haynes, Speech-Language Pathologist (Calgary)Shea Thompsen, Speech-Language PathologistJessica Harasym O’Byrne, Speech-Language Pathologist & Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children Clinical ChairJacqueline Quittenbaum, Speech-Language PathologistKate Farr, Speech-Language PathologistCyndal Gervais, Speech-Language PathologistDerek Truscott, PsychologistLynda Coyle, Clinical Administrative AssistantMarlo DeVouge, Administrative AssistantAlla Petrova, Administrative Assistant (Calgary)

MAnAgIng EdIToRJeannine Guérette

Copy EdIToRMarlo DeVouge Laurie Wang

WRITERSBryan Alary Jeannine Guérette Rick Pilger

If you would like to receive future editions of this newsletter in only digital format, please contact ISTAR@ualberta.ca

Did you know? ISTAR has offices in both Calgary and Edmonton. ?

ISTAR is an academic institute of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, U of A

Alberta is known worldwide for its thousands of hectares of farmland and its clear blue skies. Like the farmers who pride themselves in being stewards of our heartland, I pride myself in being a steward of ISTAR. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of the hard work and diligence of our community partners. Your support enables ISTAR to achieve its blue sky vision of being the preeminent provider of evidence informed treatment, professional training and scientific knowledge for stuttering and communication improvement.

ISTAR is thriving because of the work that we do together. This year, we increased our ability to provide speech therapy ser-vices to children, youth and adults all across Alberta by growing our Calgary office. As a result, we were able to help children like Bethan, a vibrant young girl from Calgary, find her voice. Bethan’s mom, Sara, put it best: “This is the first time in her whole life that she’s saying exactly what she wants!” (p. 6)

The transformative impact of ISTAR’s clinical treatment knows no bounds. Our clients go on to achieve great successes in their lives and many of them point to their experiences at ISTAR as a pivotal moment. Dr. Pierre Desaulniers is one such individual. He practices emergency medicine in Montreal and people de-pend on him to communicate key messages in a timely fashion. His confidence, he’ll tell you, was founded at ISTAR (p.10).

You can also read about the fascinating research that we are doing to ensure that ISTAR’s treatment remains the most effective in the world. Our research and professional training programs are helping clinicians everywhere understand the root causes of stuttering and develop more effective and efficient treatments for people who stutter. This work was supported by research grants from the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute as well as the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta.

We would also like to shine a bright light on the people who make ISTAR possible – our star community partners. We are extremely excited to share the story of Arnold and Grace Rumbold who recently funded a $25,000 endowment to support ISTAR

in perpetuity. ISTAR is so very fortunate to have the support of Arnold and Grace as well as so many others like them including Ken Haverland and the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona as well as the venerable Elks and Royal Purple whose generosities you can also read about in this issue of the Stars of ISTAR (p. 14).

It is because of your support and generosity that we can continue to show that every voice matters.

Enjoy!

Deryk Beal, PhD Executive Director

Message from the Executive Director

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By Bryan Alary

Carl Wolgien wanted his daughter to have what eluded him his entire life: fluent, stutter-free speech. While waging a battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer that would eventually take his life last fall, Wolgien, a lifelong stutterer, handed his daughter Haley a stack of papers about the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) at the University of Alberta. Stuttering had taken Wolgien’s words, some of his confidence and even the prospect of a career in education. Facing it head-on was a terrifying journey, one he never took before the end.

But he wanted more for Haley.

“He felt like he had missed out in his life and he had lost oppor-tunities because of stuttering,” says Haley, a 21-year-old nano-technology student at NAIT. “He wanted me to have a better life than he did and to not have anything stop me.”

Stuttering started early Teachers first noticed Haley’s stutter in Grade 2, and for three years during elementary school she had speech-language training. Carl, who felt quite frustrated and upset about his own stutter, monitored his daughter’s progress very closely, hopeful for signs of fluency. It didn’t work out as hoped, leaving every-one—Haley in particular—frustrated and disillusioned.

From that point on, stuttering was another word she avoided—like so many others that wouldn’t leave her mouth fluently.

“I didn’t like hearing the word stutter. People weren’t allowed to talk about it with me,” she remembers. “I wouldn’t talk about it. I would pretend it wouldn’t exist.”

A self-described chatterbox who wasn’t shy about making her-self heard, Haley says there were times she felt defeated by her stutter. Like many young girls, she worried about whether she’d ever have a boyfriend. The shadow of stuttering also crept into her daydreams about what to name her future children.

“There were certain names that I would have a hard time saying. That would be the worst, to be unable to say your child’s name,” she remembers.

A brighter horizonBut ignoring her father’s last wish wasn’t an option. Haley enrolled in ISTAR’s three-week intensive therapy program and during her first assessment was diagnosed with moderate to se-vere stuttering. In particular, she often avoided sounds and words, says speech-language pathologist Jacqueline Quittenbaum.

“She was very sophisticated at avoiding certain words,” Quitten-baum says. She was so good most people wouldn’t notice. “The severity was lower, but she was switching words all the time under the surface.”

Despite an initial “terror” of confronting her stutter, once in treat-ment Haley felt relatively lucky. Some of her peers were unable even to string together a complete sentence or interact socially.

Haley made quick progress and soon served as a role model for younger peers. ISTAR’s treatment not only builds up fluency skills, Quittenbaum says, it gives transferable skills by helping people through mock situations such as ordering from a menu, buying a car or going out on a date.

In Haley’s case, she prepared to deliver a class presentation on magnetic resonance-force microscopy, going through test runs with a volunteer audience at ISTAR. Her presentation was a hit with her professor and classmates, who saw a calmer, more confident Haley.

“We know from our treatment-outcomes research that people’s attitudes about their speech improve dramatically during our treatment program,” says Deryk Beal, ISTAR’s executive director and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Med-icine “People are emboldened to use their newfound speaking skills in situations they otherwise would have avoided.

“Being able to communicate freely, being able to take control of your speech, saying what you want, when you want, it’s transformative.”

The perfect Father’s Day giftSince then, Haley has participated in follow-up treatments at ISTAR to refresh her fluency skills, something that will always require practice and diligence. She’s participated in public speaking workshops and in summer 2013, she gave a keynote speech at a special ISTAR event.

The audience raved. It wasn’t completely fluent, but it was still perfect, they said.

“I am a lot more comfortable in my skin,” Haley says. “Even out-side of having improved speech, I’ve learned to be open about my speech. It’s something I’m not ashamed of.”

Talking openly about her stutter isn’t something she could have done a few years ago; nor could she have done it without her father’s push. Fluency is a gift for them both.

“He would be really proud, I think, doing the speech, talking like this. It’s a really, really good Father’s Day gift for him.”

Finding fluency a father’s final wish

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By Rick Pilger

“It was really sad—it would just break your heart.”

These are the words of Sara Webster of Calgary, recalling her feelings about the difficulties her young daughter had with speech. These words echo those of hundreds of other parents who, when they see their children’s personalities being oppressed by their difficulty with speech, come to the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research for help.

These parents want to see their children blossom as they should. When Sara’s daughter Bethan was a few months past her second birthday, Sara and her husband noticed that their daughter’s speech was “bumpy.” Sara recalls that there were repetitions and drawn out words. “She did every kind of stutter imaginable,” she says. Still Bethan’s parents weren’t overly alarmed. “I thought, she’s two. Right?” says Sara.

However, the bumps didn’t go away, and her parents could see Bethan becoming frustrated to the point that she would avoid talking. “It was really sad,” explains Sara, “because she was really articulate, except for the bumps.” Sara says that when Bethan turned three and the speech difficulties showed no sign of going away, she thought, “That’s enough!”

Fortunately, Sara has a friend who is a speech language pathol-ogist and the friend told her about ISTAR.

ISTAR is a self-funded institute of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, offering specialized treat-ment to children, teens and adults who stutter. Established in Edmonton in 1986 by the late Dr. Einer Boberg—who had himself overcome stuttering—and his former student Deborah Kully, ISTAR was made possible by the generous support of the Elks of Canada, a nation-wide fraternal organization. And with the continued support of the Elks and Royal Purple, it has grown from a fledgling institute into a centre of excellence rec-ognized nationally and internationally. Today it attracts clients and students from around the world and is the only treatment and research facility of its kind in North America.

“Our entire history has been shaped by our longstanding partnership with the Elks organization, says ISTAR’s current director, Dr. Deryk Beal. “We are immensely grateful for the

support we have received from the men and women of the Elks and Royal Purple,” he adds, noting in particular the importance of the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children. “Because of the fund, we are able to ensure that children don’t have to be turned away because of their parent’s inability to pay.”

In 2005, ISTAR opened a branch clinic in Calgary, and it was to that clinic that Sara phoned after talking with her friend. During that phone call, ISTAR’s Calgary clinician, Elizabeth Haynes, arranged to see Bethan just two weeks later.

“When we first saw Elizabeth, she said the average treatment time was about 11 weekly sessions,” says Sara. However, it turned out that Bethan’s case wasn’t exactly typical—her treatment continued for a full two years. “It was just longer and more tricky,” says Sara. “She was really up and down.”

Sara would herself play an important role in Bethan’s treat-ment. Elizabeth praises Sara’s persistence over the many months, unfailingly providing detailed notes about Bethan’s speech behaviour and keeping her engaged in the treatment, not letting her avoid talking. And in the end, the results were all that were wished for.

It was an amazing transformation, says Sara, who becomes emotional when discussing how her daughter, who is now five and a half, can now demonstrate her true personality. “This is the first time in her whole life that she’s saying exactly what she wants. She’s just so chatty and imaginative,” she marvels.

And Sara also echoes a host of other mothers and fathers when she expresses her gratitude to ISTAR—and to the Elks and Roy-al Purple whose support has been so integral to the Institute’s success. “I’m so grateful,” she says. “It’s just such an important service and they need support.

It would be huge if they didn’t exist. If not for ISTAR, Bethan would have been a different kid—it was just so sad to see her frustrated the way she was.”

And that’s why Sara is determined to let others know how ISTAR can help children confined in a cocoon of silence and sadness by their stuttering. “I tell everyone I can about ISTAR,” she says.

Star Client: Bethan

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By Bryan Alary

A new study by Deryk Beal, ISTAR’s executive director, shows that children who stutter have less grey matter in key regions of the brain responsible for speech production than children who do not stutter.

“The findings not only improve our understanding of how the brain is built for speech production and why people stutter, but also affirm the importance of seeking treatment early, using approaches such as those pioneered by the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the U of A,” said Beal.

“Previous research has used MRI scans to look at structural differences between the brains of adults who stutter and those who do not. The problem with that approach is the scans come years after the onset of stuttering, typically between the ages of two and five years,” Beal said.

“You can never be quite sure whether the differences in brain structure or function you’re looking at were the result of a lifetime of coping with a speech disorder or whether those brain differences were there from the beginning,” explained Beal, a speech-language pathologist.

For his study, Beal scanned the brains of 28 children ranging from five to 12 years old. Half the children were diagnosed with stuttering; the other half served as a control.

Brain development differs in children who stutter

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What will your legacy be?your legacy is a reflection of who you are as a person, your values, your aspirations, and your commitments. It also offers you an opportunity to thank organizations that are important to you, like ISTAR.

Many people believe legacy giving is reserved for the wealthy, when in fact a charitable bequest in your will is an effective method of supporting ISTAR without compromising current living standards. And, the tax receipt generated by this gift can reduce the amount of tax paid by your estate (which means your loved ones – not the taxman – will enjoy the benefits of your foresight). By including ISTAR in your estate plans you are helping to ensure their life changing work continues for decades and generations to come.

If it is your intention to include ISTAR in your will, or you would like to learn more, we would be pleased to hear from you. please contact deryk Beal at 780.492.2619 or by email at dbeal@ualberta.ca.

Results showed that the inferior frontal gyrus region of the brain develops abnormally in children who stutter. This is important because that part of the brain is thought to control articulatory coding—taking information our brain understands about language and sounds and coding it into speech movements.

“If you think about the characteristics of stuttering—repetitions of the first sounds or syllables in a word, prolongation of sounds in a word—it’s easy to hypothesize that it’s a speech-motor-control problem,” explained Beal. “The type of stuttering treatment we deliver at ISTAR is delivered with this limitation of the speech system in mind, and we have good success in stuttering treatment.”

Beal initiated the research at the University of Toronto and completed the work upon his arrival at the U of A. He sees the results as a first step toward testing to see how grey matter volumes are influenced by stuttering treatment and understanding motor-sequence learning differences between children who stutter and those who do not.

“The more we know about motor learning in these kids, the more we can adjust our treatment—deliver it in a shorter period of time, deliver it more effectively.”

The study was published in the September 2013 issue of the peer- reviewed journal Cortex and received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Clinical Fellowship and the Hospital for Sick Children’s Clinician Scientist Training Program.

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By Jeannine Guérette

It’s hard to believe that the Chief of Emergency at Hotel Dieu Hospital struggled most of his life through school, but for Pierre Desaulniers, this was a reality he knew all too well. Because of his stuttering, his journey as a student was very challenging.

“Since grade two, school wasn’t very good for me, but I remem-ber high school being especially difficult. We would regularly have to read text out loud in front of the class and I could tell that people felt uncomfortable listening to me,” Desaulniers recalls. “This was incredibly stressful and painful.”

Despite these setbacks, Desaulniers was accepted into medical school in 1979.

“My first two years of university went really well because my studies were mostly course-based; I just attended class and read books. But I knew that sooner or later I would have to begin rotations and eventually speak to patients,” explains Desaulniers. “I wondered if I would even be able to complete medical school.”

Fate would have it that in the fall of 1980, ISTAR co-founder, the late Einer Boberg, visited Montreal. Desaulniers spotted an article in La Presse about the work Boberg was doing at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in the field of stuttering and decided to write him a letter.

“I got a reply from him a few weeks later letting me know that he was offering intensive treatment sessions that summer, so I decided to go,” says Desaulniers.

Though he learned many new strategies and techniques from Boberg, who also stuttered, he admits that he gained some-thing else just as valuable – a new perspective on stuttering.

“Dr. Boberg was a true role model and helped me change the way I viewed my problem. Shortly after my treatment, my professor asked me to present my research findings in front of a congress of about 250 people,” says Desaulniers. “For me, this was a major source of anxiety, but Dr. Boberg encouraged me to see it as a wonderful opportunity to try my technique. It was such a relief to hear this from someone who could relate to what I was going through.”

Thirty-three years later, Desaulniers continues to be a supporter of ISTAR, not only in the treatment they offer, but also in the research being conducted there.

“Research is so valuable and it’s something I really believe in. I regularly give to ISTAR to sustain the work that they do,” says Desaulniers. “It’s great to be able to treat people and help them in their daily lives, but we need research to find the cause of stut-tering. If we can determine the cause, then we can find a cure.”

Until a cure is found though, Desaulniers continues to look on the bright side. Even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of an ER, he sees ways in which stuttering has given him a leg-up.

“The ER that we see on TV or in the movies is really not the model we want to follow,” he explains. “In the face of a serious situation, such as trauma, it’s very important that we stay calm. I think that the fact I’ve been trained through my treatment to speak slowly and controlled has enabled me to set a better example for my students. It has also helped me to give the best care to my patients.”

Doctor credits ISTAR for his success in the ER

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By Rick Pilger

Anukul Ghimire has a clear idea of where he’s headed. Getting there will involve medical school and then the practice of medi-cine, most likely in Canada, but he also intends to find some way to contribute to health in his country of birth, Nepal, and other disadvantaged parts of the world.

Now a third-year university student at the U of C, Anukul grew up in Calgary, where his parents—both have backgrounds in science and forestry—relocated after completing graduate study in Norway.

“I’m really big on trying to improve communication skills,” says Anukul, whose own communication was previously inhibited by stuttering. The disorder became a problem for him in junior high school and an even greater challenge in high school. “It was a bit of a rough patch there,” he says—and the way in which he says it clearly indicates that the patch was more than a little bit rough.

He survived though and didn’t let his speech challenge sub-merge his sense of direction, which was only strengthened when he went back to Nepal in 2011 and spent time working in a rural health clinic.

More recently he has been involved in an initiative to help young people in Calgary. With a friend he co-founded The Twenty First’s Orator, an initiative aimed at connecting junior high students with community leaders to help the students find a positive direction in life. “We want them to get a sense of who they are and what they can do,” says Anukul, who remembers too many of his school buddies going “down the wrong path.”

This past August, Anukul’s own path took him to ISTAR’s Calgary clinic, where he worked to control his stuttering. “He really embraced his therapy and worked hard,” says ISTAR clinician Elizabeth Haynes, who was so impressed by Anukul’s attitude and commitment that she had him work with some of her other clients.

“He’s a good model of what can be accomplished,” says Elizabeth. “I see him as someone who is going somewhere and will have an impact.”

Star Client Anukul Ghimire

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Kate Farr and Cyndal Gervais both completed their clinical placements at ISTAR in July 2013. They left such a positive impression that ISTAR made them official members of the team in September 2013.

We sat down with the two former students for a little Q&A and here is what they had to share:

Q. How would you describe yourself in three words?K: Hard-working, motivated, and caringC: Hard-working, creative, and kind

Q. What has been your favourite moment so far at ISTAR? Any funny stories?K. When I was a student clinician here, I was amazed at the calm demeanor all of the clinicians possessed. As a slightly nervous student, I found it difficult to embody the same calmness and use fluency skills when I drank coffee. I actually had to stop drinking coffee for the entire duration of my practicum. I am now happy to report, that I can both drink coffee AND use fluency skills at the same time.C. My favourite story has to be of one little boy I was working with. I said “wow you’re really good at this” and he responded “ya, I’m good at a lot of things....no biggie” and dropped his toy (in the same way a rapper would drop his mic after a

Star StudentsKate Farr and Cyndal Gervais

battle) and walked away leaving me speechless. Again, seeing the confidence - even in a little one - was amazing!

Q. When you were 10-years-old, did you know you wanted to be a speech-language pathologist?K. From the time I was about 4-years-old until I was a pre-teen, I wanted to be a ballerina. It wasn’t until much later that I determined speech pathology was my calling, but I’ve never looked back since. Besides, I have many clients who are preschool girls; I’m sure they would be thrilled if I brought tutus in for their sessions!C. When I was 10 I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I think I had it narrowed down to a teacher or a flight attendant. I’m really happy that I finally came to be a speech- language pathologist!

Q. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do first? K. Pay back student loans? Master’s degrees aren’t cheap, but they’re worth every penny! C. I would look into international volunteering opportunities. Not everywhere is as lucky as us when it comes to accessing speech-language services and volunteering internationally would allow me to do two things I love - helping people in need and travelling!

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Deryk Beal, Kathy Hawkesworth, Grace Rumbold and Arnold Rumbold14

By Rick Pilger

Neither Arnold nor Grace Rumbold began life in Edmonton, but both have contributed greatly to life in Edmonton since moving to Alberta’s capital as near-newlyweds 56 years ago. During that time they’ve also become good friends of ISTAR, most re-cently establishing an endowment fund to provide the Institute with annual support in perpetuity.

Born near Peace River, Alberta, Arnold apprenticed as an electrician and went on to a varied career in that field, initially working “on the tools”, and later as an electrical estimator before forming his own company in 1988 to offer cost consult-ing services in the electrical construction field. He operated that company until 2002, the year he reached 70. Involved in numerous arts, cultural and community activities—chief among them the Richard Eaton Singers, the Edmonton Radial Railway Society, the Edmonton Opera Chorus, and the Royal Alberta Museum — he was awarded the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton Arts and Cultural Award for Outstanding Communi-ty Service in 2012, and the Richard Eaton Singers President’s Citation in 2008 for his volunteering on behalf of RES.

Grace, who grew up on the prairie near Rosebud, Alberta, spent much of her working life in the offices of various City of Edmon-ton departments. A committed quilter—she’s served on the executive of the Edmonton and District Quilters Guild—Grace has also given back to the community by actively supporting cultural and service groups ranging from the Salvation Army and the Bissell Centre to Opera NUOVA, Edmonton Opera and the Edmonton Symphony. She has endowed three scholarships in support of the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan University, and in 2003 won the Samuel A. Dickson Award in recognition of her support of the Fort Edmonton Historical Foundation.

Arnold and Grace reside in the Kensington area of Edmonton, in the same house into which they moved shortly after coming to Edmonton. They are still active well into their retirement and take delight in their support for many worthy endeavours in Ed-monton, including ISTAR, which they agree is “a bit of a hidden gem.” (“Edmonton has a lot of those,” adds Grace.)

She and Arnold might not have known of the good things being done at ISTAR if not for their friendship with ISTAR’s co-founder, the late Einer Boberg, and his wife, Julia. That friendship grew from a shared interest in music, and as it progressed the Rumbolds gained an appreciation of how ISTAR was able to profoundly improve the life of those who struggled with speech difficulties. “It’s that transformation that’s so inspiring—it’s a pretty easy thing to want to support,” says Grace.

Last year, the Rumbolds took their ongoing support for ISTAR to a new level when they established an endowment to benefit the Institute on a continuing basis. “The purpose of the endowment is to support ISTAR in perpetuity,” says Arnold. And there are no strings attached: “The funds are for use as they wish,” he adds.

The ISTAR endowment was established with a $25,000 gift. Ini-tially, that will provide ISTAR with annual funding of $1,000, but the Rumbolds hope that the endowment will grow, as “Anybody can contribute to it,” they point out.

Arnold and Grace agree that deciding to make the gift to ISTAR wasn’t a difficult decision. “Because of the work they are doing, we felt ISTAR to be totally worthy of our support,” says Arnold.

Star Donors: Arnold and Grace Rumbold

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In early 2013, ISTAR welcomed Lynda Coyle to the team as the Clinical Administrative Assistant. Her 20 plus years of administrative, customer service and management experience will help ISTAR continue to meet their client’s needs.

Smooth Talk

Vanessa grant presented the 2013 Dr. Einer Boberg/ Alberta Elks Foundation Memorial Graduate Award to Alanna Lindsay. This $1500 award is funded in the memory of the late Einer Boberg, founder and first director of ISTAR, by the Alberta Elks foundation. “The Elks Boberg award will help me to fund my studies as I complete both my research at ISTAR, and my final clinical placements,” says Lindsay.

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Deryk Beal, Marilyn Langevin, along with their students, Heidi Williston, Catherene Joseph, and Kirsten Robertson attended the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Conference this past october. There, they presented the following posters detailing the research currently being conducted by the ISTAR team:

• development of a scale to measure parents’ percep-tions of their children’s self-concept: A pilot study

• Imaging-genetics: How the study of brain development and genetic transmission of speech and language disorders is transforming clinical practice

• parent perceptions of their involvement in a bullying intervention and stuttering education program

• perceptions of teleparticipation in group therapy of a client and her onsite fellow clients

• Teasing and bullying experienced by children who stutter: An update and comparison to reported incidence of children with SLI, AdHd, and autism

• Test-retest reliability of fnIRS measures of left prefrontal cerebral hemodynamics in typically fluent children during reading

• The importance of motor sequence learning abilities for stuttering treatment

• Use of telecommunications technology to provide off-site supervision in stuttering clinical education programs: Inter-supervisory reliability in providing feedback in transfer activities

ISTAR’s Shea Thompsen, co-presented at a 2-day workshop, beginning november 2, 2013, which trained a group of speech- language pathologists, primarily Alberta Health Services employees, in the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Inter-vention. The Lidcombe program is a treatment implemented by parents (with close consultation from a clinician) that can eliminate stuttering within 2-6 months when the stuttering begins within the first few years of life.

Ken Haverland, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Edmonton, Strathcona, piloted a flag rogram this past year. people who donated $50 or more received a 3 x 5 foot Canadian flag to put on their lawn for a long weekend. Altogether, they were able to raise close to $15,000 for ISTAR.

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ISTAR’s donors have been its backbone for more than 25 years, and we are extremely grateful for their continued support. They have helped children, teens and adults – and their families – access much-needed speech therapy at ISTAR. The ripple effect of this cannot be underestimated and the value of a changed life cannot be measured.

This list includes those who have made a donation in the last year. We apologize if any names have been accidentally omitted.

We also express our sincere thanks to our volunteers who donate hundreds of hours of their time each year. ISTAR wouldn’t be where it’s at today without its faithful volunteers.

Star Donors$20,000 - $111,000Alberta Elks FoundationAnonymous Donor (deceased)Rumbold, Arnold & GraceThe Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children

$5,000 - $19,999Allard FoundationAnonymousCommunity Spirit ProgramFort Macleod Royal Purple Lodge #28Haverland, KenRealtors® Community FoundationRotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona

$1,000 - $4,999Acme Royal Purple Lodge #103Alberta Royal Purple Lodges AssociationBara, Dr. Barry & SheelaghBoberg, JuliaDelburne Elks Lodge #206Desaulniers, Dr. PierreFort Macleod Elks Lodge #129High Prairie Elks Lodge #279Johnston, Dr. DavidMarshall, Geoff & Dr. Colette Fournier MarshallMuth Electrical Management Inc.Pilger, Richard & MarionPope John Paul I Assembly #2754Russell J Crawford Professional CorporationStavely Royal Purple Lodge #99Stettler Royal Purple Lodge #60Superfluity ShopVegreville Royal Purple Lodge #125Warner Royal Purple Lodge #72Whitehorse Elks Lodge #306

Thank you

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$250 - $999Abbott Petroleum Consulting Inc.Booth, GaryBarrhead Elks Lodge #332Bashaw Royal Purple Lodge #176 Benjamin, MarcBentley Royal Purple Lodge #264Big Valley Elks Lodge #147Big Valley Royal Purple Lodge #77Boser, Kelvin & CallistaCANADAHELPS.ORGChapman, AllanConnelly, Phil & KirsteenCormack, RobertCraig, GarthDynacor Communications Inc.Eaglesham Royal Purple Lodge #318Edmonton Community FoundationEllenwood, DarrelFlynn, Dr. PeterGoodwin, SusanGyro Club of EdmontonHeisler Elks Lodge #305Heisler Royal Purple Lodge #115High Prairie Royal Purple Lodge #59K J RoofingKingston Ross Pasnak Chartered Accoun-tantsKully-Martens, DeborahLac La Biche Royal Purple Lodge #309Lloydminster Royal Purple Lodge #105Martens, Neil & GingerMatthews, AnnMyrnam Royal Purple Lodge #242Niven, Michael QC & Cathy SimmonsPemberton, Dr. George & TeresaPiche, AllenPicture Butte Elks Lodge #268Plitt, Dr. SabrinaPonoka Royal Purple Lodge #27Radostits, IvanSexsmith Royal Purple Lodge #266Sherwood Park Royal Purple Lodge #287Stanford, Dr. LoisStroppa, John & YvetteSundre Royal Purple Lodge #191The Dinner Optimist Club of EdmontonThe Insurance Doctor Inc.Trenville Royal Purple Lodge #248Van Kuik Fast, NathaniaVon Niebelschutz, Alex & Lisa Rossi

$50 - $249Alderliesten, Hans & JannieBaadsgaard, Dr. HafdanBacon, DianaBell, William & DarleneBlock, GarthBreton Royal Purple Lodge #285Chamberlain, BarbaraChristensen, DaleClendenning, PaulCooke, ChristyCrnogorac, RajkoCroft, DexterDavis, MichelleDeGryse, David & ShirleyDunn, JamesDunnigan, TerranceElk Point Elks Lodge #460Felts, DennisFernet, MichelleGardner, GregGervais, James & WendyGetz, GlenysGreenberg, SheilaHall, LisaHaverland, LyleHebb, Kevin & Fran De BeerHitesman, DavidHolowaychuk, DennisHorne, GailHryciw, Dr. Aaron & TeganHughes, Dr. David G.Jorstad, SigurdKennard, LawrenceKirscht, Trey & ShannonKotelko, Bern & DonnaKrowchuk, GordonLeduc Royal Purple Lodge #41Living Sounds Hearing Centre Ltd.Luc, AnaMacDonald, BradMacDonald, RodMackie, NormanMacnab, JeanMactaggart, Dr. Sandy & Dr. CecileManitoba All Charities CampaignManning Elks Lodge #286Manning, Robert & Helene BeausoleilMannville Royal Purple Lodge #205Maris, Victor

$50 - $249 (ctnd)Martin, DavidMatheson, MattieMcLennan Royal Purple Lodge #62McLeod, Lloyd & HelenMiller, ClayMurray, FrederickNewman, Dr. John & SheilaOfficer, LisaOrlecky, LorettaParent, RichardPietrusik, CelinaPietrusik, DonnaPilgrim, CraigPooley, Erwin & ArleenRapp, ChristineRosalind Elks Lodge #209Ross, JohnSomogyi, George & JudithSpence, MatthewStawnichy’s Meat ProcessingStokowski, LarryStrang, GordonSwanson, RubyTELUS CorporationTendler, CandaceTian, MeiTrumpener, Dr. Ulrich & MaryTurner, MaryTwarowski, JacekVermilion Elks Lodge #131Viking Elks Lodge #83Walsh, FabianWebster, Dr. William & AnneWelwood, RuthWest, CatherineWiegand, DerekWiens, Dr. DouglasWilson, JanetWyant, Peter & Carole-AnnZalmanowitz, Daniel & ConnieZaps, Sheila