Pamela Couse joins Voices of Hope for Aphasia as Director of Development and Outreach

St. Petersburg, FL (October 24, 2019) Voices of Hope for Aphasia, a 501(c)3 non-profit, has appointed Pamela Couse as Director of Development and Outreach to help the organization as it grows. The organization’s mission is to serve those who, due to stroke or other brain injury, have a language disorder which affects their ability to speak, understand, read, or write.  

Ms. Couse comes to Voices of Hope for Aphasia with a strong background cultivating and growing nonprofit organizations throughout the United States.  She is a certified member of the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives. She has served as the Director of Development of The Kimberly Home, Executive Director of the Atlanta Intown Theatre Partnership, and Major Gifts Officer for both The Atlanta Opera and Georgia Public Broadcasting. She also spent a year on the island of Majuro, teaching Art and English at The College of the Marshall Islands. She is a member of the Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta (ALMA) class of 2014 and has served on the board of directors for 7 Stages Theatre (Atlanta, GA) and Animal Fairy Charities (Milwaukee, WI).

“Pamela’s immense experience and creativity, coupled with her dedication to helping others make her a perfect fit for our organization,” said Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s Executive Director Debbie Yones. “Pam’s priority will be to grow awareness of our organization in the Tampa Bay Area, allowing us to serve at least twice as many people as we do today. Her focus will be on raising the funds necessary to deliver our programs and to serve our members and their families.”

Voices of Hope for Aphasia is one of the largest and fastest growing community-based aphasia centers in the United States, and their programming is rooted in the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia which encourages and supports reconnecting people with aphasia to their lives and interests.  All their programs operate on a pay-what-you-can model ensuring that everyone can participate regardless of their financial situation.  Voices of Hope for Aphasia’s staff is comprised of licensed speech pathologists who continue to receive broad industry recognition. Today, Voices of Hope for Aphasia is serving a small percentage of the estimated 7,000 people in Pinellas County who have aphasia.  With the addition of a person dedicated to fundraising, marketing, and outreach, they have set a goal to double their member base and add a new service location.  

About the organization:  Voices of Hope for Aphasia is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting participation, supporting communication, and developing community among individuals whose ability to speak, understand, write, or read was affected due to stroke or other brain injury.  The organization was formed in 2011 by founders Mike and Kathy Caputo after Mike’s stroke at the age of 51.  Aphasia impacts over 2.4 million people in the US.  There are over twice as many people living with aphasia than Parkinson’s and 150 times more than those with ALS.  One in three people who suffer a stroke will have some form of aphasia and may suffer isolation, frustration, and depression due to the disorder.   For more information about how our programs help on our programs – please visit https://www.vohaphasia.org