20 Feb 20 Champion’s Club Teams Share Why They Walk for Apraxia

In 2018, over 200 Walk for Apraxia teams each raised over $1000, which earned them their spot in the Champions Club! Champions Club teams receive special recognition at the walk for helping to further the mission of Apraxia Kids. The money they fundraise helps raise awareness, provide support, and educate parents and professionals across the country. Now, 20 Champion’s Club teams are sharing why they attend the Walk for Apraxia!

1. “Our family formed Team Kellan again this year to support our apraxia superstar. This will be our 3^rd walk. Kellan was diagnosed with apraxia at 2 years old and has always worked so hard. He is a true inspiration for us. Watching our child do something that comes so easy for the rest of the world is truly life-changing. We are so proud of him and we know it’s so important that he gets a day each year to celebrate his hard work! He deserves it. We love that he gets a day to be with others that share in his journey and he will be with all his friends and family! We want to fundraise and contribute to Apraxia Kids as they help all of these amazing children who need so much support! It takes an entire community! They are so vital to this journey for families.” – Team Kellan, Denver
2. We formed a team in order to give River a sense of ownership and control on this journey. We thought it would be a great way to honor all of the hard work he has put in and highlight his empathic personality. He also has a huge support group of family and friends who absolutely adore him. We are firm believers in rather than just saying ‘someone should do something about that,’ being those pioneers that inspire others to take action. Every child should have a voice and this family promises to do our part to ensure someday they all will, or will at least be given the best opportunity possible.” – River Monsters, Boise
3. “We walk for James because we want him to know he is not alone. He does not know there are others like him. I am ready to see his face when he talks to a fellow peer that speaks like him. We also want to raise awareness. We want others to know that Apraxia Kids is a great organization that wants to help! We formed a team because James has a large family. Apraxia doesn’t just affect him, it affects all of us. His family sees this as an opportunity to support a sweet boy. We don’t see this as a team event, but as a family event.” – James’ Super Hero Voice, Des Moines
4. “We walk for Tripp to celebrate and honor all his hard work. While it can be heart wrenching to watch Tripp, and other children with apraxia, struggle to find their voice, we remind ourselves that the dedication and perseverance they are learning now will bring them great success throughout their lives. Apraxia may slow is down at times but it will never stop our fight! We love you Tripp and are SO proud of you!” – Team Tripp, Denver
5. “We formed a team to show Liam that there are a lot of people behind him who love and support him. He is special and we want to make sure he never forgets it, even when he conquers his sounds as we know he will! We also want to help create awareness so that there is understanding for our children, resources for families, and training for SLPs to assist our children in the best way possible, with the best techniques possible.” – Team Liam, Denver
6. “Paul looks forward to the walk every year and all year long! He knows that this day is a day to celebrate him and all of his hard work and accomplishments! He gets to be with other children that struggle daily to find their voice. We walk every year so Paul knows that he isn’t alone! We walk to help all the children just like Paul find their voice!” – Team Paul, Western New York
7. “The reason we formed a team in 2016 is the same reason we still have a team – our community needs each other. Hope matters and in 2016 we were new to this diagnosis, and we needed the hope that others provided. Owen inspires me every day to be a better parent. His progress that he has made throughout his apraxia journey is extraordinary and I have no doubt that the Apraxia Kids family has maintained my peace of mind for many years now. We want others to experience the love from the organization and the local families as we have.” – Owen’s Dinos, Arkansas
8. “The best thing about the walk is seeing all of the little apraxia stars feel amazing about themselves! Their faces light up when they are called up to receive their medal! It melts your heart and makes you feel so good knowing you are helping these kids. If you aren’t part of a walk yet, now is the time! There is nothing better than giving back to a great organization like Apraxia Kids. A lot of times as a parent you feel helpless watching your child struggle with apraxia but by raising donations you are doing something important and taking control of the situation. You can feel good knowing you are helping your children feel special about themselves!” – Danimal’s Army, Boston
9. “We formed the team Kyle’s Krusaders 4 years ago and continue to be amazed and overwhelmed with support from so many. The walk is a chance for Kyle to be recognized for all of the hard work and truly be cheered on by his family, friends, and therapists. It’s a day to celebrate him and all of the other children who are fighting back against apraxia and working hard to find their voice. It’s a chance for our family and friends to listen and learn more about apraxia – they hear the things we find too hard to say out loud. Most importantly, it’s a chance for Kyle to see he is not alone in this journey – that we’re all right behind him and will do anything to help him overcome apraxia.” – Kyle’s Krusaders, Greater Allentown
10. “We walk for Apraxia to celebrate Jayden and his cousin Johnny along with all the other kids with Apraxia to celebrate their hard work to find their voice. Having found their voices, both Jayden and Johnny use their voice to spread awareness to help all kids with apraxia find theirs too. Our family strongly believes in giving back to the community to help let other families know that they’re not alone and hopefully make the journey with apraxia a little easier.” – Jadyen & Johnny, Greater Hartford
11. “We formed a team to support Deacon for a few reasons. We want to bring awareness to apraxia and raise money for other families of children with apraxia so that they can experience success in speech. We want to show Deacon that he has many people behind him who support him, encourage him, and are so proud of all his progress. We never tire of hearing how amazed people are with Deacon’s progress and we know that was not without hard work and determination on his part. Deacon is an apraxia star and we are so proud to support him!” – Team Deacon, Western New York
12. “We formed a team for the same reason we walk. We want as many people to know and understand Danica and her journey. Not only do we want friends and family to understand and support apraxia awareness, we want society and the public to recognize Danica as a person first. We want her treated as a valuable member of her school and community.” – Danica’s Voice, Pittsburgh
13. “We discovered that once we let people in on the secret that is childhood apraxia of speech that people wanted to be involved and they wanted to make life better for Logan. We formed a team for the Houston Walk for Apraxia because we wanted to let Logan know that while his world may feel small or lonely in his head – he absolutely is not alone. His world is full of love and support and with each person who learns about apraxia, it grows by one more, and that is priceless.” – Logansaurus Rex, Houston
14. “We walk to honor all of the accomplishments we’ve seen in Ethen and we walk as a united group of family and friends, who support Ethen, to remind ourselves what truly matters in life. We remind one another to never take for granted what comes naturally to most: speech. We walk to educate, raise awareness, and celebrate these kids and each of their individual journeys because everyone deserves a voice. This organization and this walk is near and dear to our hearts.” – Team Easy E, Twin Cities
15. “The walk is always such a wonderful time to meet and spend time with other families that understand apraxia and everything that comes along with it. We have made many great friends at the walk who I know I can lean on for support with everything apraxia-related, and Graham has his friends that talk like him and don’t question why he sounds different. Graham gets so excited to see his friends and family come together to recognize and celebrate all his hard work and progress he has made over the past four years.” – Golden Grahams, Nashville
16. “We walk for Bryce because his journey has taken a village. So many people have helped along the way to get Bryce where he is, it would be impossible to remember all the names. Some of those people are on our team and others have joined to show their support and give their thanks. We walk to thank them. We walk to raise awareness of apraxia and to support all children who are working to find their voice. We walk in the hope that the funds raised can help others get the services and supports that have made such an impact on our family, and our shining star, Bryce.” – Bryce’s Buddies, Philadelphia
17. “We formed Team Katelyn to be cheerleaders for Katelyn and for apraxia awareness. Katelyn’s family and friends are so proud of how she works hard every single day to speak so others can understand her. Our team motto is ‘Never Give Up’. Katelyn is an inspiration to everyone who knows her because she faces every day with this motto. Even though it can take months to learn just one sound or word, Katelyn never stops trying. She has come so far in her journey with apraxia and the Walk for Apraxia is the perfect way to show our support for Katelyn and to raise money to help other kids and families facing apraxia.” – Team Katelyn, North Texas
18. “Our team has joined the Walk for Apraxia for the past couple of years. Salus University has a graduate program for speech language pathology and our professors and clinical educators have informed us as students about all the great opportunities to get involved in our community to show our support. As SLP graduate students we want to support and advocate for childhood apraxia, and the Walk for Apraxia is a great way to get involved and meet people in our community.” – Salus SLP, Philadelphia
19. “Connor was diagnosed with CAS right after his third birthday and after attending speech therapy for a year. Luckily, Connor’s speech therapist pointed us to a great organization called Apraxia Kids. They provide support to families and speech therapists alike. They are a great community where parents can get support from other parents who understand what they are going through. Apraxia Kids also helps professionals learn more about CAS. Apraxia Kids has amazing programs that are helping bring awareness of CAS and helping every kid find their voice. To give back to the support they have given my family and to spread awareness about apraxia, we decided to participate in the 2018 Tucson Walk for Apraxia.” – Connor’s Cruisers, Tucson
20. “My grandson Evan has battled with Apraxia for the past 7 years since his diagnosis. Through countless hours and years of hard work he continues to overcome the challenges of communication that so many of us take for granted. While communication comes more naturally for him now, the daily challenges of apraxia continue to shape his life. The success of the battle is in many ways dependent on the resources and strength of the apraxia community. We are grateful for the Apraxia Kids organization for the guidance provided to us in this journey. The walk is an opportunity to celebrate our children and the power of community.” – Little Laws, St. Louis

Apraxia Kids could not support parents and professionals on their journey without the funds raised through the Walk for Apraxia. We want to thank all of our Champions Club teams for leading the way to a world where EVERY child is afforded their best opportunity to achieve functional speech. The core of our mission has always been that EVERY child deserves a voice, but the heart of our mission is the dedicated supporters that help us achieve great things!

Will YOU join the Champions Club this year?! Register now for your local walk!