Pay It Forward

Patients receive all the speech therapy they need at no charge – and then they Pay It Forward to help someone else.

Since 2008, Parkinson Voice Project has provided ALL of its speech therapy services using the “Pay It Forward” concept. We provide the highest level of speech therapy services to people with Parkinson’s and related disorders. Then, twice a year, we encourage patients, families, and community supporters to Pay It Forward to help someone else.

Parkinson Voice Project is unique. We do not charge for our SPEAK OUT!® Therapy, SPEAK OUT! Therapy Classes, eLibrary access to our SPEAK OUT! Booklets, Flashcards, and other therapy material, Singing Groups, SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions, or Sing-Alongs.

Funding a medical clinic through Pay It Forward is quite unique. Parkinson Voice Project has saved thousands of dollars and countless hours of time and energy by providing its speech therapy at no charge. The clinic doesn’t have a billing office. No Medicare billing specialists. No insurance paperwork. No copayments. No collections department.

Now, we are extending our unique Pay It Forward Model to our continuing education programs! Instead of charging for our 13-hour certification course, we ask SLPs to consider Paying It Forward – make a donation – to help the next SLP become certified. We don’t want their access to training to be limited by continuing education budgets.

Parkinson Voice Project will always be grateful to Bart & Joan Bartholomew who made a major gift in 2008 enabling the organization to start “Pay It Forward.”

Joan was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and received treatment by Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder, Samantha Elandary, at her home beginning in 2002. Bart was then diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003. Samantha helped the Bartholomews, and then they paid it forward to help others.