Help Sureree Speak with Confidence

My name is Erin Snodgrass. I want to share a story about a dear friend/colleague that I'm hoping will inspire your heart, like it did mine, to want to help join our effort in changing the life of this beautiful young, single mother and soon-to-be teacher.

Sureree is a 27-year-old single mother who works as a Special Education Paraprofessional at the school where I teach. She works with students with special needs every day and often works in my kindergarten classroom. When Sureree is not working as a para at our school, she is busy being a momma to her 7-year-old son, working at her 2nd job, or going to college to finish her teaching degree...which will be completed this August of 2022.

Sureree will be an AMAZING teacher! I truly believe it was what she was meant to do in life. She is nurturing, patient, understanding, empathetic, and has the kindest servant heart. The kids and staff love her! There's only one obstacle standing in the way of making her dream of becoming a classroom teacher more of a reality. Sureree has a significant stutter when she speaks. As you can imagine, this speech issue affects her ability to speak fluently, which is beneficial when working with younger children. Not only does it affect her fluency, but it also affects her confidence and self-esteem. This stutter is something that has impacted Sureree her whole life.

When she first told me that there was a device out there that could quite possibly eliminate her stutter, I was so excited for her! Sadly, I could tell that she wasn't quite as happy as I anticipated her to be. Sureree said it was an extremely expensive device and that she simply could not afford its cost. I asked her if insurance would cover the cost, and she said that insurance doesn't cover it because it's considered a "want" instead of a "need." At that point, it became heavy on my heart to want to find a way to make this happen for her. I'm hoping you will help me, too! This will truly be LIFE CHANGING for Sureree!

The device that we are looking to get for Sureree is called a SpeechEasy device. They are similar in appearance to a hearing aid, but work as a fluency-enhancing device for the brain. Sureree will travel to a specialist in Arkansas to be evaluated for a device that is just right for her. These funds will cover the cost of the evaluation and the device.

I would like to make this happen for Sureree before summer begins, since she can now begin interviewing for teaching positions for the upcoming school year.

Will you help me make this dream a reality for Sureree? Please share this with anyone and everyone you know who could help. I appreciate it so much!