11-Year-Old Saadiq Wicks Steps Up for Those That Stutter with LLLet Me Finish and Our Time

Our Time, a nonprofit organization that has been helping children who stutter for over a decade has announced a brand new strategic partnership with Saadiq Wicks and LLLet Me Finish. Mr. Wicks, an eleven-year-old Camp Our Time participant, took it upon himself to found his own organization, LLLet Me Finish," to help raise awareness about stuttering and bullying, and to raise scholarship funds to send kids who stutter to Camp Our Time. This remarkable young man has taken what he learned at Camp Our Time to heart: "Dream Big and Live Courageously." He created a t-shirt with his signature slogan "L-­L-­Let Me Finish," which he sells to raise money for the organization.

Mr. Wicks has also been giving presentations at schools, awards dinners, and booking radio appearances, educating people about stuttering and spreading his anti-­bullying message. Our Time's Founder and Director Taro Alexander, also a person who stutters, had this to say, "Mr. Wicks is a tremendous person and we are all delighted and honored to work with him. LLLet Me Finish and Our Time are a perfect match, and the joining of forces made sense to everyone. Listening to Saadiq inspires us all to be better people."

LLLet Me Finish will now be the official Educational, Anti-­Bullying & Awareness Building Program of the Our Time Organization. Mr. Wicks will head this innovative program as its Founder & Director, under the guidance of Taro Alexander and Our Time's Managing Director Noah Cornman. The goals of LLLet Me Finish are to educate and raise awareness about stuttering and bullying, through presentations, workshops, day camp programming, public service announcements, press appearances, and other strategic online/social-media initiatives. Mr. Wicks will also serve as a National Spokesperson for Our Time. Mr. Wicks stated, "As a person who stutters I've been bullied for my speech and I know what it feels like to be ridiculed. It's like your parents telling you that you can't live in their house anymore. imagine that?" He also added, I'm really excited to be working with Taro and the Our Time Family. It's so awesome! I didn't think LLLet Me Finish would get this big. I just wanted to raise awareness about stuttering and bullying. Together we are going to help so many kids here (U.S.) and all over the world!"

Our Time provides a compassionate community where children who stutter increase their confidence and communication skills. Stuttering is a communication disorder affecting over 68 million people worldwide, including 5% of all children. Kids who stutter struggle not only with speech, but also with shame, discrimination, bullying, and social isolation. Our Time provides New York City arts and speech therapy programs, and a national summer camp in North Carolina, which promote confidence and pragmatic communication skills among participants who stutter. Children from around the nation and abroad join a community of acceptance where they have as much time as needed to express themselves. They form friendships with peers, receive mentorship from adult role models, and experience motivating success that empowers them to achieve their fullest potential. Our Time serves youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds, offering its New York City programs free of charge and providing need-­based financial aid for camp.

Founded in 2001, Our Time is a non-profit organization that helps young people who stutter improve their confidence and communication skills. Children who stutter, ages 8-18, from around the nation and abroad join a community of unconditional acceptance where they discover the importance of expressing their unique and valuable voices. Through performing arts, speech therapy, and summer camp programs, participants develop vital communication skills, gain validating friendships, receive mentorship from adult role models, and experience motivating success.

The company offers its NYC arts programs and speech therapy services free of charge and provides financial aid for Camp Our Time.

It is estimated that over 68 million people in the world stutter, including 5% of all children. This common yet widely misunderstood speech disorder can cause extreme emotional distress in kids who struggle not only with verbal communication but also with shame, discrimination, bullying, and social isolation. Stuttering can claim a child's desire to speak, and ultimately their ability to achieve their dreams.

Our Time provides holistic treatment options for stuttering which address the emotional, social, and physical impacts of the disorder. The company's programs are designed to reorient children to believe that communicating their thoughts and feelings is more important than hiding their stuttering from others. When participants learn they can embrace a positive self-identity as a person who stutters, and reduce their struggle with speech, they can overcome social and academic obstacles and reach their fullest potential.

For more information, visit www.ourtimestutter.org or www.campourtime.org.

Pictured: Taro Alexander (Our Time Founder & Director), Saadiq Wicks (LLLet Me Finish Founder & Director), Paul Rudd (Our Time Board of Trustees Member).