Here is some news that might warm up your cold Canadian winter: The National Stuttering Association has officially announced their 35th anniversary conference, taking place in St. Petersburg, Florida, over the 4th of July weekend. That should be a great party! Everybody loves these conferences. This is a great opportunity to meet other people who stutter, socialize and learn from each other and attend entertaining and informative events.

For more information, check out their website.

The Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research, based in Edmonton, Alberta, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of helping people who stutter. To mark the occasion, the institute is hosting a guest speaker lecture series. Two CSA board members – both past CSA National Coordinators – Shelli Teshima and Jaan Pill, will be featured speakers.

Johnathon Boville is happy to shoot the breeze with anybody he meets - especially patrons at his new restaurant, Stuttering John's Bistro. The fact that he is a person who stutters has been no barrier to his social life, or to his entrepreneurial spirit.  In fact, he believes that, as a memorable characteristic, his stuttering has helped him out as a successful local business person in the town of Oshawa, Ontario. People always remember meeting him.

Johnathon hasn't always been so confident. As a teenager he often refused to speak, writing messages down for people on paper. Things changed when a friend offered him a job at a local club as a bouncer. It was a job he thought he could never do, but ended up being persuaded to give it a try. Surprisingly, being in a position of authority instilled the confidence he needed. He ended up thriving at a job that helped him to learn to speak socially with others and assert himself.