Feature Family Member

Karen Vardiman had an unusual reaction when she was named one of three recipients of the Burtis-Vogel Community Service Award from the Texas Speech-Language Hearing Foundation. “I was speechless.” The award is presented to speech-language pathologists who exceed expectations in providing services that benefit the community at large. In Karen’s case, the award recognizes her work as the director of the Spoken Word Ministry, a communication support group for adult stroke survivors with residual communication challenges. Karen received a monetary sum, a laptop, and other computer equipment as part of the award. She says she is flattered by the award, and that she will use the computer equipment during treatments to run functional communication software, and access speech therapy websites.

“I’m a speech-aholic, I didn’t need an award to keep doing it, but it’s very helpful,” she said. “The most important thing is that my church considers this a ministry, the Spoken Word Ministry.” The Spoken Word Ministry began in 2006 at Loving Fellowship Baptist Church as a support service for stroke survivors who still have speech impairments. The mission of the group is to provide Christian education and support to communicatively impaired community members and their families.

“It is the love of my life, it’s just so much fun,” Karen said. “Originally I wasn’t telling too many people about it, but I thought that if I told more therapists, they can find people who can use our support service, and they can refer stroke survivors who still have speech impairments to our groups.” She said that when she told two of group’s members, who are stroke survivors, they started to cry. “They were so happy for me, and that really touched me, she said.” The support group was formally a part of the South Dallas Communication Group that was sponsored by a grant for more than three years. When they weren’t able to renew the grant, the people in the group no longer met. Karen’s pastor was contacted about reviving it so that people would have the social communication group again.

“That’s how we kept it alive,” Karen said. “It’s kind of sad that you only get help if you have money. When they got back together, one of the stroke survivors said to me, ‘We’re going to be together forever now, because Karen’s not going to quit on us.’ ” Karen said that the members of the group knew too, that at any point when the money ran out from insurance, or Medicare or a grant that their therapy would end, or that other people would decide how much treatment to provide.

“It’s a lot to think about. I think it’s a wonderful thing for them, and it’s the greatest thing for me,” she said. “They help me be a better person. All of them are older than I am, and the wisdom that they are able to share even through some of them broken sentence is worth getting up on Saturday mornings” Karen has been a speech therapist since 1981. She works full time for the Duncanville school district and handles six patients for THERAPY 2000. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and did her graduate work at California State University-Los Angeles. In her spare time she reads, does water aerobics, crochets and engages in other exercises at home. She also enjoys her two dogs, an Akita and a German shepherd. She collects vintage dolls from the 50s and 60s. She has about 100 dolls in her collection, although they numbered more than 400. For more information about the Spoken Work Ministry, e-mail lfbc_dville@yahoo.com.