In The News
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On August 7, 2025, Smiles for Speech hosted our third annual comedy benefit show in New York City, at The Stand, to sold-out rooms and standing-room only energy. The evening featured standout performances by top-tier comedians, including Bonnie McFarlane, Caitlin Peluffo, Dina Hashem, Janeane Garofalo, Mae Neil, Mark Normand, Maureen Taran, Mike Recine, and Reggie Conquest.
All proceeds from the show supported the Smiles for Speech Early Learning and Care Center, a new center launched in Tamale, Ghana dedicated to providing speech and therapeutic resources to children with disabilities. The event served as both a celebration of laughter and a beautiful demonstration of community commitment to inclusivity and access to professional services.
A Special Thank You to Our Sponsors
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors —Silver Sponsors: AZ Speech Therapy, Panda Speech Therapy, Taylor'd Speech & Language Services, BJOREM Speech PublicationsBronze Sponsors: Speechtime Fun, Downtown Kids, and First Phrases — for their generous support in making this event possible.
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Big news from Ghana! We officially launched the Smiles for Speech Early Learning Center in Northern Ghana. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible volunteers, sponsors, families, and community for making this unforgettable journey possible, and for the continued support of our mission.
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Recently, our founder Sandy Dorsey was spotlighted by The ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association) as an Impact Leader for her incredible work with Smiles for Speech. Click below to read the full article.
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…FOR THE GLOBAL SCHOLARS CROSS-CULTURAL INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Richardson, Texas — Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of people with Parkinson’s, named Smiles for Speech a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient.
Grant recipients include hospitals, universities, private practices, and other organizations providing speech therapy across the United States and abroad. Each Clinical Education grant recipient receives training for their speech-language pathologists and students, SPEAK OUT! eLibrary access, and the opportunity for SPEAK OUT! workbooks and other materials.
The SPEAK OUT! Grant Program honors the late Daniel R. Boone, Ph.D., a world-renowned speech-language pathologist who recognized in the 1950s that individuals with Parkinson's could improve their communication by “speaking with intent." Based on Boone’s teachings and developed by Parkinson Voice Project, the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is a highly effective, comprehensive program that helps people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. By combining individual and group SPEAK OUT! Therapy with ongoing patient and family education, people with Parkinson’s learn to transition speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.
“Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at risk of losing their ability to speak. In addition, swallowing complications account for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population. Our vision at Parkinson Voice Project is to make quality speech therapy accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide,” said Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
As a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient, Smiles for Speech is committed to offering Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program to help people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders in their community.
About Parkinson Voice Project
Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to improving speech and communication in individuals with Parkinson’s. The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas and has trained more than 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Israel, Greece, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
