Join us at 2:00pm on March 5th, for a pizza lunch, hosted in the Party Room at Pizano’s Pizza and Pasta in the Loop. Pizza, salad and soft drinks will be provided by SAY.
Meet SAY’s Chicago Team Sarah, Margo & Paul Berkowitz, Corey Caporale, Amy Glaizer-Torgerson, Katie Gore, and David Sanchez.
What a great opportunity to get to know each other, meet other kids & teens who stutter, play games, learn about SAY and Camp SAY, and talk about our shared experiences as people who stutter, and families and friends of people who stutter.
At about 4:00pm, the SAY team will head over to the Millennium Park rink for ice skating. Parents and children are encouraged to join us and to bring their own skates (or you may rent them for $12 at Millennium Park). Rink admission is FREE.
To join us, please click the button below to RSVP today!
Please contact Amy with any questions, either before the day of the event, or on event day: Amy@SAY.org and (206) 853-7132.
Learn more about our Chicago Team below. Learn more about Pizano’s. Learn more about the Millenium Park rink and skate rentals.
Katie first became connected to SAY through fellow Chicagoan Corey Caporale, best known for his 720-mile bike trek for Camp SAY. Having been involved in the stuttering community for a few years, Katie believes that SAY’s goal of helping children and teens find their voices and express themselves is truly “what it’s all about”. Getting to know the SAY team, both in Chicago and NYC, has been a wonderful privilege and she is honored to be part of it. Katie loves stuttering and loves Chicago, and is very excited to be part of SAY’s arrival in the Second City!
Katie Gore is a speech-language pathologist and director of speech IRL, LLC, a private practice specializing in stuttering and adult communication services. She is a regular presenter at speech-language pathology conferences, and provides clinical education on stuttering to school districts and hospitals. She is an active leader in the Chicagoland stuttering community, and strongly believes that connecting with others is the most powerful means of changing a person’s communication experience.
Katie lives in downtown Chicago with her husband John. When not doing stuttering-related activities, Katie enjoys refined hobbies like reading comic books, playing Minecraft, and every Chicagoan’s favorite pasttime: eating.
“To me, SAY is about becoming alive through self-expression, in whatever way is meaningful for you! Our Chicago team has such a diverse range of interest and talents, but the passion & excitement for kids who stutter is the common bond. I love that SAY brings people together, celebrating unique skills and abilities, to create an amazing experience.”
Sarah Berkowitz
Sarah is a fantastic young woman who has been part of the SAY family for several years. She first attended Camp SAY in 2013 and instantly fell in love! SAY has allowed Sarah to blossom in so many ways – she found her comedic voice through Improv classes (not only at Camp SAY but later at Second City in Chicago) and most recently was one of the authors in SAY’s first StoryTellers project where she gave a public reading in NYC!
Sarah’s passion is to advocate not only for those who have special needs but also to help people learn to accept other’s differences. Now a junior in high school Sarah has been an active participant (including currently serving as Vice President) of her school’s Best Buddies chapter. She is proof of how the mission of SAY comes to life everyday and allows children to find their voice and be exactly who they want to be.
Margo Berkowitz
Margo and her family first connected with SAY in 2011 – she’s the mother of two beautiful daughters, one of whom is a person who stutters and a three time Camp SAY camper. Margo has been actively involved in the development of a very successful program to support children and teens who stutter and is absolutely passionate about helping every child be as successful as possible. She believes that every person has an amazing story to tell and wants to spread the word of SAY to help children who stutter have their stories heard.
Margo loves her work as a pre-school teacher and spends her free time with her family – her husband Paul (also on the SAY Chicago team), daughters Sarah and Abigail and two dogs (Wrigley and Roxy).
Paul Berkowitz
Paul is the proud father of two beautiful girls (Sarah and Abigail) and is married to Margo (another SAY Chicago team member). He is dedicated to SAY’s mission and has been involved since 2011. Seeing the many amazing experiences had by his eldest daughter (a 3 time Camp SAY camper and StoryTellers author … among other things) Paul believes in the power of bringing every person to their maximal potential.
Paul is a physician leader and psychiatrist focusing his clinical work on people with co-existing medical and psychiatric illnesses. In his spare time he enjoys golfing and playing bass guitar.
Corey Caporale
Corey Caporale has proudly served on SAY’s Board of Directors since 2011. Corey has a career at Madison Dearborn Partners and lives in Hyde Park.
He is also the founder of Bike Hike 720, an annual fundraiser, awareness campaign and bike ride from Chicago to Camp SAY each August. To date, Bike Hike has raised over $50k in funds that help support Camp SAY and provides financial assistance to send kids to Camp.
As a person who stutters, Corey understands the challenges that these kids face and wants them to know SAY can help. He is honored to team up with an amazing group of individuals here in Chicago and together hopes to empower, support, and educate a whole new community.
Corey enjoys baseball, the outdoors, and exploring the city by bike. He strives to be a good role model to his two daughters (Mia and Annie) and to show not only them, but all youth in the SAY family it is ok to stutter and that every voice matters.
David Sanchez
David has stuttered since the age of 4. Though stuttering certainly was a source of pain during his childhood, he was dedicated to not allowing it to take control of his life. He enjoys playing basketball in his down time and writing fiction and poetry. David is a student at Northwestern University and currently working on publishing his first novel about a teenage boy who stutters. He is engaged to his lovely fiancée Amy Glazier-Torgerson.
Though David always enjoyed working with youth from all different backgrounds, mentoring youth who stutter has become his life’s passion. What motivates David to dedicate his time and effort to SAY is the change in confidence he sees in the kids who enter the program. As a counselor at Camp SAY, David experienced firsthand the joy of helping kids find strength and beauty in their own voices. Now, David wishes to bring that joy to young people who stutter in the city of Chicago.
Amy Glazier-Torgerson
Amy became immersed in SAY in early 2015 and has been committed to SAY’s mission ever since. Amy has worked with youth of all ages in both educational and social settings for as long as she can remember, grounded in the belief that every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves to dream of and achieve their goals. SAY exemplifies this belief in the most incredible ways through Camp SAY and year-round programs. She especially loves collaborating with the incredible SAY staff, parents, and children who not only believe that every voice matters, but also commit their actions and attitudes to creating a world where this is a reality.
Amy currently works in research at Northwestern University (her alma mater!), studying how early childhood centers can best support children and families. In her free time, she can be found reading nonfiction, training for a half marathon, or planning her upcoming wedding to David Sanchez (also on the SAY Chicago team!)