Brandon Victor Dixon and More to Join SAY BENEFIT GALA: DC
The gala, hosted by Broadway star Brandon Victor Dixon, will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Klein Theatre.
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The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY) will present its return to the nation’s capital for the 2nd Annual DC Benefit Gala in Washington, DC, an evening of celebration, inspiration, and advocacy, honoring SAY parents Stephen and Lindsay Bennett with the SAY: Budd Mayer Advocacy Award. The gala, hosted by Broadway star Brandon Victor Dixon, will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Klein Theatre.
The evening will feature a special performance by Brandon Victor Dixon, performances by SAY kids, and more.
About SAY:
Founded in 2001 by DC native Taro Alexander, SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides support, advocacy, and transformative programs for young people who stutter. Through summer camps, regional day camps, speech therapy, and creative arts initiatives, SAY fosters a community of acceptance and encouragement, ensuring every child is given the time and space to speak—because every voice matters. SAY's commitment to accessibility includes providing financial assistance to over 75% of families, ensuring no child is ever turned away due to financial constraints.
The DC community has always been a source of inspiration and support for Taro Alexander, Founder of SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young. Raised in Washington, DC, Taro graduated from The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Taro's father, the late Bobby Alexander, was the Founder and Artistic Director of the Living Stage Theatre Company, an outreach program of Arena Stage. Having stuttered since age 5, Taro spent most of his childhood ashamed of his voice and afraid to disclose his stutter, which led to years of isolation and self-silencing. It wasn't until he was an adult that he met another person who stutters and realized he was not alone. He began to dream of creating an organization that could provide young people who stutter with the encouragement and understanding they deserve. In 2001, he founded SAY in New York City, and it was an instant success, changing the landscape of stuttering awareness and advocacy. Within the first few months of founding SAY, Taro was honored by the National Council on Communicative Disorders at the Kennedy Center at their 20th Annual Communication Awards. Since that time, SAY has blazed a trail for young people who stutter, providing support, community, and opportunities to reach their full potential. In 2019, Taro returned to his roots, moving back to the DMV to start the Washington, DC branch of SAY.
Now, in addition to SAY's NYC program, a long-running two-week summer camp, and online offerings reaching young people who stutter all over the world, SAY's DC programs are thriving in the heart of DC. Taking place in a bright, beautiful art studio near DuPont Circle, this school-year-round visual-arts and writing-based program provides a home for community, fun, support, and imagination for young people who stutter, ages 5–18, and is offered free of charge.
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