Every 1 Voice Matters

ABOUT FOUNDER

Every 1 Voice Matters > About Founder

About Us: Every 1 Voice Matters (E1VM)

I seldom spoke to people for fear that I would expose my stuttering and be teased. It wasn’t until middle school that I realized I had to do something. I remember the day I had to do morning announcements over the loudspeaker, I could barely say my name, much less read the announcements. I was petrified to say anything more, the whole school would know I was different.

From that day on I was determined to figure out how to get it under control. And, eventually, with a lot of patience, I learned techniques that helped curb my stuttering.

I always wanted to help kids who stuttered, because of how it affected my life. My grandson, Lil Herbert, stutters. Wanting to spare him and other children from some of the difficulties I experienced during my childhood, I’ve made it my mission to help those with speech impediments and let them know that they are not alone. It can be conquered, and you can find your voice. Growing up with a stutter was hard and I always wondered, why it happened to me.

Now I have the reason—Every 1 Voice Matters—your voices matter to me.

About Founder: Sherrikka Myers

Sherrikka Myers realized that she should form Every 1 Voice Matters when she found out her first grandchild had a stuttering problem just like she had growing up. She wanted to shield him from being bullied and teased because of his stuttering. So, at 35 years old, she went back to school, received her associate’s degree in marketing and created her nonprofit. Sherrikka felt the need to show her grandson and other kids who had a speech impediment problem, that they can still live a very successful life despite their major stuttering issues. She grew up in a single family household with limited resources and the only resource she had available to her was a book to help get her stuttering under control. “Reading has drastically changed her life and now she wants to use the same tool that helped her overcome stuttering help kids who stutters or deal with any other type of communication issues, overcome self-confidence, self-esteem and bullying issues.”

METHODOLOGY

1. Obtain referrals from public and private agencies. 2. Conduct meetings, seminars and workshops for families in the community. 3. Provide group and individual counseling sessions to families and the at-risk youth residing in Berkeley, Dorchester and surrounding counties. 4. Network with other social service agencies in the community to provide families with 100% support. 5. Set up peer to peer interactions for sharing and emotional and social support. 6. Give our at-risk youth who stutter various experiential field trips to allow them to dream and keep them focused on the goals. 7. Engage with kids online with my Animated Series and Lil Herbie Book Series.

PROJECT GOALS/OBJECTIVE:

To promote the development of fluency, communication and coping skills for the individual who stutter and socialization, support and understanding in the community To change the methodology of addressing educational needs of at-risk youth and their families To facilitate altering behavioral characteristics that eliminate delinquency, recidivism, and other unproductive behaviors among the at-risk populations in our community To link life skills and academic preparation together and improve one’s chances for a better future through the correlation To offer unique training and enrichment programs that keep our at-risk youth who stutter engaged and moving closer to their goals, aspirations, and dreams To establish safe, stable and nurturing home environments among families residing in Berkeley, Dorchester and surrounding counties. To provide a disciplined and nurturing environment that promotes self-respect, self-esteem and self-worth and encourages listening, caring, and reinforcement of positive values To discourage drug and alcohol use while advocating mindfulness and healthier life choices.

DESIRED RESULTS

To give people who stutter a therapeutic environment in which they are not judged and where they can flourish while being supported and loved To change the lives of at-risk youth who stutter and their families; to give them something to believe in and see it manifest in front of their eyes To reduce the incidence of unemployed families in Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester and surrounding counties by breaking the feeling of helplessness and generational poverty To lower the incidence of social problems that come along with poverty: child abuse, spousal abuse, unwanted pregnancy, preventable illnesses and cases of substance and alcohol abuse To provide an environment that values personal respect, self esteem, self worth, and encourages listening and caring, and reinforced positive values. To provide a variety of educational enrichment and enhancement programs and field trips to at-risk youth who stutter and their families in the community To develop a network of support services accessible and affordable to families in the community.