This month’s spotlight of the month honors Kelly Vernon Hart!
Kelly is a jack-of-all-trades and among the many hats she wears she is a wife, a mother (both to children and dogs), and a PWS. Her true passion lies in acting and performing, and she wanted to be a Hollywood actress growing up! A fluent speaker all her life, she won many awards in drama at the University of Texas in Austin. Kelly is active in her church and has recently joined as a volunteer for CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, “a world where every abused or neglected child is given the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.” She is extremely passionate about helping people in this way.
Kelly was in a car accident in 1999 and was in a near death coma for several weeks. When she awoke, she had severe brain injuries leaving her unable to speak or walk. She had to relearn almost everything. And when she started to speak, she stuttered! This didn’t stop her and she returned to school and graduated with a BA degree in English and Drama in 2001.
Kelly loves the National Stuttering Association! She is amazed how different we all stutter, but the loving support and understanding of everyone is her favorite part of the NSA. Kelly is a leading figure in the stuttering community and as a neurogenic stutterer, she has spoken to many classes of student SLPs at both UT/D and TCU. She joined Toastmasters in 2011 and won Best Speaker several times. She is really looking forward to the NSA national conference in Dallas next year. Kelly’s infectious smile can’t help but make you smile back!
Next time you see Kelly don’t be afraid to break into an improv sketch!