St Petersburg, FL (Feb 15, 2023) Voices of Hope for Aphasia is honored to partner again with Pinellas Community Foundation to provide services that support the mental well-being and quality of life of people living with aphasia in Pinellas County. Pinellas Community Foundation awarded a generous Operating Grant to Voices of Hope for Aphasia that will help increase their capacity to serve more of the 7,000+ residents of our community, plus their loved ones, who live with aphasia.
Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s core program, Living! with Aphasia, offers 16+ activities and support groups each week. These programs include Aphasia Book Club, Travel Club, Creative Thinking, and Writing Group. These programs are vital to those who struggle with aphasia as well as their families and loved ones. Members can select a curriculum based on interest and language ability. Other programs provide unique and otherwise-unavailable access to aphasia experts who provide individualized education for the family unit. All programs are delivered in a safe, healthy, and aphasia friendly atmosphere by accredited Speech Language Pathologists. Programs are offered several days a week at Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s Center in St. Petersburg as well as the Hale Senior Center in Dunedin.
“We are so grateful to continue our partnership with Pinellas Community Foundation and their support for the coming year”, says Debbie Yones, Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s Executive Director. “Their support and commitment to helping organizations that serve Pinellas is invaluable. Aphasia has become far more visible over the past year, which means more people are aware of our services. The support and continued partnership with Pinellas Community Foundation will help to strengthen our community for decades to come and ensure the senior population of Pinellas County will have access to the vital resources the need and deserve. The future is brighter for all of us, thanks to them.”
About Voices of Hope for Aphasia: Voices of Hope for Aphasia is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting participation, supporting communication, and developing community among individuals whose ability to speak, understand, write, or read was affected due to stroke or other brain injury. The organization was formed in 2011 by founders Mike and Kathy Caputo after Mike’s stroke at the age of 51. Aphasia impacts over 2.4 million people in the US. There are over twice as many people living with aphasia than Parkinson’s and 150 times more than those with ALS. One in three people who suffer a stroke will have some form of aphasia and may suffer isolation, frustration, and depression due to the disorder. For more information about how our programs help to increase quality of life and end isolation, please visit www.vohaphasia.org.
About Pinellas Community Foundation: Founded in 1969, Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF) is the only organization of its kind, dedicated to perpetually enhancing the lives of every Pinellas County Resident. Serving Pinellas for nearly half a century, more than 130 charitable agencies rely on generous donor-funded grants distributed by PCF. The mission of the Senior Citizens Services donor-advised fund is to provide help and guidance to those citizens living in Pinellas County and are fifty-five years of age or older by making charitable contributions to qualified charitable organizations and government entities, which provide help and guidance to those citizens. This funding brings together two foundations committed to addressing the needs of older adults living in Pinellas County. For more information about PCF, please visit https://pinellascf.org/