Being bullied; Anti-bullying; Speech Impediments: How these positively impacted my life and negatively rocked my world. I have found my mission-driven direction and it begins with this foundation.

Call it a stammer, call it what you want. When I used to trip over my words and stutter, it was a living hell! I probably began to stutter as far back as preschool. I had a challenging time fitting in the popular clique and even back then, I was ostracized by my peers. One thing I have learned since preschool, never interrupt someone who stutters because that individual is trying to form their words and it can take some time. Please be patient when you encounter someone who stutters. This is why I started this foundation because the bullies made fun of my stutter. One of my greatest accomplishments was giving a speech as class president of my grade school which included Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. I was so nervous when I found out I had to give a speech and thankfully, Ms. Mucibabich, my Algebra Teacher, practiced this speech with me almost 50 times. When I walked on stage to deliver my speech, I heard everything which included silence, people laughing at me, some saying, "Shhhhh!." I remember seeing my best friend, Eric Simpson in the audience and although in my mind, it appeared he was cringing, the reality was he was silently wording to me, "You got this, Rod." I adjusted the microphone to my height as I was roughly five feet tall at that time and very slender and frail. I proceeded to cough and take a gigantic breath of fresh air from the auditorium and deliver a well-crafted and articulate speech. Wait a second...how was this possible? How was I not stuttering? Why wasn't anyone interrupting me? This was my time to shine, my huge feat, my incredible accomplishment and you better believe I never forget this night! So next time you meet someone who is having difficulty forming their words, please give them a break and be patient as this individual is simply trying to say a few important things. And who knows, she or he could be a really cool person trapped in a scared, camouflaged body that has not come into their own yet in life. Hopefully very soon, this individual will accomplish a feat like mine and celebrate their own "trophy" of success. And if not soon, one day it will come to you my friend!