Charlie LaVallee: Mission of Variety the Children's Charity

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show, to everyone in the United States and around the world. Hello, Richard Roberts in Brazil, my buddy, my friend, who's going to be here not long from now to visit me. Oh, we're all so thrilled. Can't wait for him to come. Hello, Richard. And Gangyung Cho in South Korea. Best wishes to you, Gangyung, and Cheryl Harris right at the State Department. From the great city of Beaver, Beaver, PA. Hello, Cheryl, who I first met in Tunisia virtually when I did a program for them, and Venyamin in Kazakhstan. And I've just met so many wonderful people. You know, we have an incredible base around the world from countries from Australia to the UK to China, Russia. Uh, oh, here we go. Mongolia. And I always tell people, I don't care if there's only one person, one person in a country, you can make a difference. You one person, just spread the news to others because you know what we care about? Respect and dignity for people living with disabilities. Hello, Yoshiko. Yoshiko, guess what? Next year is my 20th anniversary on the show, and today I got the great pleasure of having my engineer Aaron back, who's now a big shot at Voice America. So, you know, he decided he'd give me a break and be with me again today, and I love him so much. And Rachel, who's on vacation, but But I was with Aaron for a very long time before, as I said, he moved up into the big time. And I have to thank our sponsor, Highmark, and our lead sponsor. And by the way, Highmark, Cindy Hundorfeen from AHN was just the keynote speaker in Pittsburgh where I'm located for the African American Chamber of Commerce and did a great job. So everyone, Welcome to the show. I have to tell you, I am very biased. When you hear me say I love this guest, I mean, I really love this guest. He is a wonderful person and he stayed with me and supported me all through. I know you all know about my grieving of Mary because I couldn't do the show for a while. And he was true friend, true friend, always there for me. But in addition to that, he is the chief— is it enthusiastic officer?

Excitement, but enthusiastic is good too, Joyce Bender.

Chief enthusiastic excitement officer, meaning the CEO, CEO for Variety, the Children's Charity. And let me tell you, if you know him, Oh my God, he is the chief enthusiasm excitement officer for Variety, the children's charity. I mean, you will meet no one like him when it comes to that enthusiasm. And so, Charlie Lavallee, welcome to the show. For our listeners around the world, because, you know, when I do hear from people, it's— they're so appreciative if they know about the person. So would you start by telling them your story, like where you grew up and went to school and college, and, and then what led you to decide to work with children? Because you worked with children that were dealing with grief and now inclusion. So how about if we take a minute or two and you share your background?

Well, thanks, Joyce. First of all, I just have to say what a gift and a treasure you are and the difference you have made in this life, from Western Pennsylvania to around the world. And we are blessed by you, by the person you are, and by all that you've done for people with disabilities. So thank you for being you. Keep on being you as fully as you can, and we're grateful for you. So many, many of us now around the world, which, who knows, how would your parents have ever dreamt that? Yeah, what a wonderful—

they would not have. Now they wouldn't picture Joyce Bender in Kazakhstan. Go ahead, Charlie, let's hear, let's hear. Yeah, let's hear about you.

Okay, well, I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My family had a little bakery which is located in the heart of Oakland, which is where the universities and the hospitals are. And, um, I was fortunate to go to St. Edmund's Academy. And then really importantly, I went to Carnegie Mellon University, but just as important, Carnegie Mellon being in Pittsburgh, I worked in my family's bakery nights and I had to be at work at 3 o'clock in the morning, and then I would go right to Carnegie Mellon in my baker clothes and having to bring donuts every day on the Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and Tuesday, Thursday for 4 years. And God forbid I should not bring all the right selection of donuts for my friends who waited outside my classroom. But the bakery was— Carnegie Mellon was a gift, but it was really a blessing to work, especially my freshman year, besides my grandfather, really made me the person I am. And it was the last year of his life. And I treasure the bakery and the lessons I learned in the bakery about the hard work and caring for people and being early. So, yeah, it was a wonderful— I was blessed to have that opportunity.

Wow, you certainly went to a great college, Carnegie Mellon. So you all know it's one of the best in the world. And I mean, in the world, we're so fortunate to have CMU right here in Pittsburgh, and many software companies, technology companies have come out of Carnegie Mellon. So no surprise to me that that's where you went. So Charlie, how did you get on this road with helping children?

Well, I was working in a Presbyterian church and a good friend of mine who is a minister Mr. Rogers, Fred Rogers, in the mid-'80s, um, and in the early '80s, what people don't know is Western Pennsylvania was decimated by a steel crisis and the collapse of steel, and we lost 150,000 manufacturing jobs, and it affected the whole region. And not only did the steelworkers lose their jobs, but they lost their healthcare benefits. So Mr. Rogers, Fred approached me about coming to Blue Cross, now Highmark, to direct the first uninsured program in the nation for children who were not eligible for Medicaid, which is the government's program for those who are living in poverty. And I was honored to go. The roots of it, though, started with a couple of Presbyterian ministers listening to the steelworkers. And I think that's a great lesson to remember for those who want to make change, we need to begin by listening. Just like Joyce, you have the people with disabilities who want to work. We have to listen to them and to what their needs are and to what equipment they might need to be able to perform their tasks. And so from Fred's encouragement, I went to Highmark, and that program was replicated in 20 states through a federal grant. And it became the basis for the Children's Health Insurance Program in Pennsylvania, and then the National Children's Health Insurance Program, which has now helped over 200 million children. And it is, it is a remarkable story. And we had a grant when I was there also for children with special healthcare needs. People do not always realize that if you are raising a child with special needs, They need to see multiple doctors and health systems and need to have that all coordinated and integrated. And so from there, once we received the government funding, I said to the team, let us look for another unmet need of children that we can focus on. And sometimes in life, your personal life and your professional life collide. And that is what happened to me when my stepson had a tragic accident and died at age 21. And my son was 6. And again, it was Mr. Rogers, the only time he ever gave me advice. He said to me, "Take your heartache, Charlie, and do something with it." And I think that's a good principle for all of us to remember, that in our difficult times, in our heartache, in our adversity, we can do something with it. And so thanks to the leadership once again of Highmark, We created the Highmark Caring Place, which is a center for grieving children, adolescents, and their families. And there's 4 of them now in Western and Central Pennsylvania. And the caring place, the Highmark Caring Place, is now the leading model in the nation for supporting kids who've had a death. And I'm so grateful for Joyce Bender. Fred and his guidance. I don't know that I could have heard that from anybody else. And here's a cute little story about Mr. Rogers and grieving children. So we aired a 30-second television spot with him, and he was saying, "If you've had a death, come to the Caring Place." And this 8-year-old boy here sees the television spot, 30 seconds. His dad had died, his whole world had fallen apart. And he says to his mom, 'Mom, if Mr. Rogers says we should go to the Caring Place, we should go to the Caring Place.' Well, the family went, and it made a tremendous difference for the 8-year-old and his mom. So I called Mr. Rogers up. I said— and I told Fred the story I just told you and your listeners— and then I said to him, 'When did you meet this 8-year-old?' He said, 'You know I never met him.' I said, 'Oh, oh yeah, that's right. When did you talk to him on the telephone?' a little peeved with me, and he said, you know, I never talked to him on the telephone. I said, let me get this right. An 8-year-old boy whose whole world has fallen apart when his dad dies is willing to go to some place he doesn't know where it is, be with some people he doesn't know who they are, even though he's never met you in person or heard your voice personally, but he's willing to go because you said to go. And then he's crying at this point, and I am too. And I said to Fred, What a life well lived that you can gain the trust of 8-year-olds because when they were 3, 4, and 5, they watched you on TV. So I hope that encourages your listeners. A powerful example of just doing the right thing and focusing on the needs of others and the good that comes. He was a treasure, Mr. Rogers.

Oh, yes. And if so, you all know Mr. Rogers from Pittsburgh. We own him. We own Mr. Rogers, even though he was shared with the world. Uh, but you know, that's a good example, Charlie, for everyone to remember how you lived your life. I'll never forget, I heard Marlo Thomas speak at, uh, uh, Carlo to the women, and she said, always remember something: a little girl is watching you. And just like with Mr. Rogers, you know what I mean, Charlie?

Absolutely. And I, I think, you know, what an inspiration he is, um, still. And it'll be 20 years this year in 2023 since, um, he went home to God. And, um, but his impact still, um, lives on 20 years, 20 years later. In fact, some of our kids— we're going to talk about this in a couple minutes— but 3 of our kids are going to be riding their adaptive bikes on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on a new show in January. So we're very excited about that. The neighborhood continues and Fred's vision for making a difference for children lives on decades later.

It does. It does live on. Charlie, let's talk about Variety. I love Variety. I'm proud to be on the board of Variety. A lot of people, I mean, I know people in the United States and are all everyone around the world. You're going to love this story. Not only of what Variety does, but could you start with the Variety story, like how it came to be?

Sure, Variety was founded here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in 1927, 11 showmen got together and theater owners, and they wanted to form a social club that would also do charitable activities. So on Christmas Eve in 1928, they were— 11 of these theater owners and showmen were playing cards after a matinee performance and at the theater, and they heard some whimpering, and they went in the theater And they found this baby with a note posted to her saying— her name is Catherine. She was born on Thanksgiving, which would have been a month earlier. And the mother writes, I can't take care of her or feed her. I have 8 others. My husband is out of work. I've always heard that those The entertainment and showmen are very generous and kind. Please take care of her, and I pray God will help. And so that's how Variety got started. Again, it's so fascinating to me that out of adversity, out of difficulty, good can come. So these 11 showmen, so to speak, godfathers, adopted her, and they named her Katherine Variety. After their social club Sheridan, which was the theater where she was found. And so if you roll the tape forward these many years since, since 1928, and now what you find is that there are like 42 chapters, so to speak, around the world in 13 countries. But it's— and the focus is— the unifying focus is on children who are disadvantaged, our children in need. Some like us are focused on kids with disabilities, but I think again the principle for us is adversity doesn't have to have the last word. Good can come. And so that is what these theater owners demonstrated to us, and that is what Variety is trying to demonstrate around the world, that out of challenges, good can come.

Look what happened. One good deed. Look what happened. Helping children all around the world. Everyone gets a chance in life to make that one decision that could change so many lives, and you don't even know it. That is such, to me, such a great story about, about Variety. And I wonder if you could also tell everyone about my bike and my voice and the size of Variety today, you know, how big it is, where all you are, go over all that with them.

Sure, I'd be happy to. Thank you, Joyce, for asking, and thank you to you and the rest of the board for your commitment to the kids and, and especially to kids with disabilities. It It seems to me that at least in America, and I trust you would know better, that around the world, we don't really understand the challenges that the kids with disabilities and their families are facing. And I have an example. My sister-in-law is 54, Kathy, and she has Down syndrome. And we FaceTime every night. And she lives in a group home. With other women, and she works, and she's very proud of her work. If, um, we're taking her home some nights, she'll have to say, 'Gotta go to work, gotta get up late.' She sounds like she's a Joyce Bender apostle. Gotta get to work, be on time, do the job. And, um, but what I've learned from Kathy— and this is why I wanted to start here— she can't say Charlie because of her communication challenges. So I'm Charlene to her. But when we FaceTime every night, 7 o'clock, there's no one happier to see me. She screams out, "Charlene! How you doing, Charlene?" And I hope she never changes. I am honored to be Charlene to her. And so I think our programs here at Variety— I wish she'd had one of these adaptive bikes when she was growing up because For example, people with Down syndrome often have weight and cardiac or heart issues. So having an adaptive bike can get you exercise, let alone fun. So when I came to Variety 10 years ago, we launched a program called My Bike, which gives adaptive bikes to kids with disabilities who can't ride a typical bike. And I know it's a point Joyce, you feel so importantly because for our kids who have these type of challenges, what's happening in all the neighborhoods, they're sitting on the porch, they're watching their brothers and their sisters have fun and feel good about themselves through riding a bike. But our kids are sitting on the sidelines watching. Well, once they have the bike, they can join in, they can be part of the fun. They belong. They are not left out. They are just another kid having fun with friends and family. So it is not very complicated. It is just giving all kids, all kids, an opportunity. I do not fault the community because unless you have contact with kids, you do not know what their challenges are. Unless you have contact with kids with disabilities. But this is something we can do. This is within our reach. We can make sure kids get these bikes. And so just yesterday, at another one of your partners, uh, Covestro, we were giving out adaptive bikes and it was a glorious day. We had a parade and our board chairman, Mike Schneck, who used to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, led the parade on the bike. And I wish your listeners could see the smiles on the kids' faces as they get to ride a bike for the very first time. No matter what their age, they could be 4 or they could be 18. So it was a glorious day yesterday, but I think that is the principle we want to focus on. How do we enable all kids to be kids? How do we enable all kids to live to their potential? That is the challenge, I think, for us adults around the world.

And I would say if you want to make a donation to Variety for a bike or a MyVoice device, we'll talk about more, but if you would like to make a donation, Charlie, where do you go?

You get— the easiest thing is just to go to our website varietypittsburgh.org and you can make a donation through the website. And really, there's lots of inspiring stories. If somebody's listening today, there are videos, they can see the kids riding in these parades. And I will never forget this one boy. He was 16, never ridden a bike. He is in a power wheelchair. And his mom asked me if I wanted to understand their situation. I said, "Yes, please tell me." She said, "Charlie, we are proud. My husband and I work, but it is too expensive for us to afford." Because she said, "The cost of our adaptive van," To transport our son in the power wheelchair is more than our mortgage on a monthly basis. I said, I understand if I told anybody my car payment was more than my mortgage, they'd think I was crazy. But I'll never forget when mom and dad lift him out of the power wheelchair. They put him on the bike. We're having a parade with 20 other kids riding their adaptive bikes. We're in a beautiful area and he's grinning like crazy and mom's walking right behind sobbing like crazy because she never thought she'd see the day happen. Well, shouldn't that be what we believe in? The impossible can become possible. We just have to commit to it and see what we can do. So that was a glorious day. And I— and if your listeners want to go, whether they donate or not, at least get on the website and see what we're doing and see if that is impossible for your part of the world. Let's brighten up the corner. And if you— if you make it happen for one child, that's glorious. You don't have to do a whole program. Let's just take these one at a time. I remember many years ago when I was doing uninsured children, we had a saying, the world will be changed by parents who change it one child at a time. And let's empower those parents of kids with disabilities to enable their children to participate more fully.

Yes, that's right. And why I said that about the bike, you know, I'm all about inclusivity. And if you're a child and, you know, the whole time you're growing up, you're looking out the window, you see your friends riding a bike, you see your siblings, but you're not included. It makes such a difference. Inclusion makes a difference. So that's why I'm saying how important it is for these children to have these accessible bikes so that they're included at school and school events, you know, with their friends, going out, because not enough people with disabilities— sometimes they don't realize how important it is just to be out, you know, just to be out. But with that, I see we have our, uh, ready for our Advocacy Matters news break with Perry Jude. Perry, are you there?

Thank you. I am good.

Hi, Terri. How are you? How are you today?

I am fine. Thank you so much.

What do you want to talk about today?

So today we want to talk about newly released FBI hate crime statistics. Not a happy topic, but the— yesterday, December 12th, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, released its annual collection of hate crime statistics that are reported by participating police agencies across the country. Now, hate crime data is collected by local law enforcement and submitted to the FBI. And this is the same system, data collection system, that law enforcement uses to report other crimes such as assault, burglary, murder, intimidation, human trafficking, and, and more. And so the FBI publishes the data on crime in the U.S., and they also publish hate crime data every year. Now, hate crimes were added to the FBI list of crimes back in the early 1990s, the same year that the ADA was passed. And it was done so by an act of Congress. George W. Bush signed that data collection into law. So, yesterday, the FBI released its 2021 data. And across the country, there were just under 12,000 law enforcement agencies that provided information on hate crimes to the FBI. And of those, it showed that there were 7,262 incidents related to bias-motivated crime in the United States. So we do not count hate crime data for police agencies that do not submit reports. So that is important. All the police agencies in the country do not submit hate crime data to the FBI. So let us look at that data. Of those just over 7,000, 1.86% or just under 2% were based on disability. 61%, almost 62% were based on race, ethnicity, or ancestry. Almost 14% were hate crimes based on religion. And almost 16% were targeted because of someone's sexual orientation. Now, if you go to disabilityrightspa.org, we have links to all of those reports from the FBI so that you, you can view the national data and look directly into your reports from your state. So what about Pennsylvania? Well, only 41 of 1,500 law enforcement agencies submitted hate crime data to the FBI. There were 172 incidents of hate crimes. In Pennsylvania. We have a population of 13 million, so I think that more, Joyce Bender, has to do with the low number of law enforcement agencies that are reporting hate crime data. Only one incident of crime motivated by bias was reported on the basis of disability. 122 in Pennsylvania were based on race, ethnicity, or ancestry. 17 were based on religion, and 22 incidents were based on sexual orientation. We know advocacy matters, so it is important that your listeners get involved. Look at the data in their state. Visit Disability Rights PA for links to data about the FBI and hate crimes. And it is just so important that we, as individuals, encourage people that we know who've been victimized by hate to report that to the police. There's nothing more important than data collection and reporting it to the police so that the police and the government can do something about those hate crimes, Joyce.

It is so terrible how much they're increasing.

Yes, hate crimes are increasing, uh, here in Pennsylvania. Absolutely.

Terrible. Well, Perry, thank you so much, and thank you for keeping us up to date on everything going on, and we'll look forward to talking to you next week.

Thanks, Joyce Bender.

Take care. And Charlie, on to a happier note, we were talking frequently about Jacob. Is that who I'm thinking? Jacob. Okay. I was wondering if you could share that story with our listeners.

I just I just think that's such a great story, the one about the 21st birthday. Yep. Well, here's one that just happened last weekend that you're going to—

you can tell that also.

Go ahead. Okay, so here's what happened. He dresses up every year. He's, um, mid-20s now. He dresses up in the elf from— if anybody of your listeners have seen the movie The Elf, he dresses up as the elf. He's in his power wheelchair. Buddy the Elf. He dresses up, and his mom, in his power wheelchair, in their adaptive van, they drive all over the city of Pittsburgh, and Jacob gives packages with necessities and special treats to those who are homeless. Oh my God, he does it every year. And his mom got something wonderful this year. They— she works downtown at a credit union, and Jacob goes to work with her, but they gave her free parking for the month. So the mom took that money, Eileen, it was for— that she would have paid for parking, and they bought even more packages to give those who are, who are homeless. Living without a home. And so they had the great weekend giving out, caring for others. And here's Jacob, who is— he has difficulty speaking. He uses a communication device, which we can talk about. And but here he is. So sometimes, you know, we think we're doing for those who have disabilities, but if we look closely Often they're leading the way and are an example for us. Like Jacob did for Variety using his communication device, um, 3 jokes every week. Did hundreds of jokes during the pandemic for us to try to— I asked him, could he help lighten people's spirits? And he offered to do 3 jokes a week. And I mean, he's an example to me. And the story you're thinking of is very Um, sweet. When Jacob turned 21, his brother, with the doctor's permission, took him out for a 21st birthday celebration. Jacob was allowed to have a total of one beer, and they took a shot glass and put it around his neck, and that's how much he could have from place to place. Well, when his best friend turned 21, Ryan, all Ryan wanted to do was to get his older sister and Jacob and his older brother and the four of them to go out to celebrate his 21st birthday. So here, picture this for your listeners. Here's these two young men in their power wheelchairs, and they're big, they're kind of big guys. So they go into this bar on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and if you're from this area, you say South Side. They go into the bar on a Saturday night, and as they come in in their power wheelchairs, everybody stops talking to look at these two guys. Then their siblings, who are older but smaller, kind of get these guys up, Jacob and Ryan, onto the bar stools at the bar. Ryan now gets out his communication device that Variety gave him through the My Voice program, and he says to the bartender through his communication device, it's his 21st birthday. What? I know nobody talked to her, but she was brilliant. She looks at him and she goes, you've got ID? Talks to him just like she would any other 21-year-old on that birthday, right? Not believing, you know. And so then he gets out his ID, but she continues. He goes, I don't know, kind of looks fake to me. Did you make this? Is this counterfeit? Well, finally he orders a Yingling beer through his communication device. And then what happened was when these two guys, Jacob and, and Ryan, had to drink his beer out of a straw because of his challenges, also signed off on by the doctor. But what happened was incredible. Everybody in the bar raised their glasses to toast Ryan. But the best part is what Jacob's Brother Evan said to me afterwards, he said, "Charlie, it did not matter anymore that they came in the bar in power wheelchairs. It did not matter anymore that they had disabilities. It did not matter anymore that Ryan had to order his beer with a communication device. They were just a couple of guys, a couple of Pittsburghers, a couple of Yinzers," we say in Pittsburgh, celebrating a 21st birthday just like everybody else, which is all they want.

Oh, that is such a great story. Oh, I love that story, and I love him, and I love his jokes. I love that story. That is so awesome. Yeah, that's what it's all about right there, breaking down stigma, you know, understanding, hey, these are people.

You know, don't you think all the people in the bar went home and told their friends and family, you wouldn't believe what I saw tonight?

Yep, yep, that is so true. That is exactly what happened. Uh, well, that— and as you can see why I call him the Chief Excitement Officer. Now you all know what I mean, Charlie. Um, Variety has really expanded from when I first, you know, got involved thanks to you and your leadership. Because when I first got involved, they weren't even known, and now you constantly are in the news or somewhere. But how, how large is Variety now geographically? Where, where are families that could work with you?

Well, we started in 10 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania around Pittsburgh. Now we are in a total of 59 Pennsylvania counties and 12 West Virginia counties for a total of 71 counties. And we are a small staff. There are only 7 of us. So I like to kid the team, you have to be a little psychotic to work with me because it is how can we empower more kids and their families. And I think that is though the lesson we are learning. And we all have to remember kids with disabilities are everywhere, and they all need to have a chance to ride a bike. They all need to have a chance to have a voice like Jacob and Ryan. And I think what we're learning is— I think we have a great opportunity in Pennsylvania. We're creating this My Voice program that could be once again another model for the nation, because every child deserves to have a voice, whether it's their own voice that they find whether it's through an adaptive communication device, a talker, so to speak, if you would, an augmentative communication device. And that's the real beauty to me that we continue to expand. And in the rural areas, in the urban and suburban areas, kids who need a voice, kids who are nonverbal, kids who have a communication disorder, they're everywhere, but they're kind of hidden. And that's why I think we have to bring great light to this issue and say, every child has a voice. And so that little grandfather of mine, that immigrant grandfather of mine from Germany, he said to me, and this is where I got a great education with him in the bakery, not just at Carnegie Mellon, but he said to me, there's only one thing you need to know about doing the right thing. And I said, what is it? He said, it's the right thing. Don't worry about anything else. Do the right thing. I think we have to ask ourselves in America and around the world, is it acceptable? Is it right that kids don't have a voice? Let's answer that question. Should every child have a voice? Yes or no? And if it's yes, what are we going to do then? Can't just talk about it. We have to act just like you have over and over again to get people with disabilities jobs. It takes action. We talk about it, but then we have to— we must act.

I'll tell you what, so true, isn't it? Just do what's right. Just do what's right. Charlie, you brought— we were talking about My Voice, and before we talk about that more, how about the stroller? You also— we also have strollers we give families. How does that work? What is that?

Well, that's— that one is where honestly I think I've learned the most. I didn't know enough about the challenges of children who have— it's interesting because they don't always need a wheelchair all the time, right? Some kids are runners or elopers, meaning they just take off.. And they have no safety awareness. Like, I'll never forget, I had a grandmother who came when her 10-year-old grandson was getting a bike, but she saw the stroller and she said, Charlie, that's what I need because I can't take him out anymore because he's a runner. He'll just take off and he'll go across the street and get hit by a car. So I can't take him out anymore. And I said, well, where do you want to take him? He looked at me like I just landed from Mars. And she said, "Charlie, I'm not trying to take him to Paris." I said, "Well, where are you trying to take him?" She said, "Oh, I'm just trying to take him down the street to get ice cream together." And I thought, oh my goodness, couldn't we make sure that grandmothers can take their grandsons out? And just yesterday we gave out more adaptive strollers and one mom said, "Now I can finally I can't take my daughter to the grocery store with me because she'll just take off. I get her in the stroller and we can go. And another mother said yesterday, Charlie, it's not that my son can't walk, he just can't walk all the time. So sometimes we'll be out and then he's totally exhausted and we have to sit there and rest for 40, 45 minutes. So we've learned a lot about these strollers and I think they're far more indispensable than I ever realized. I would have to be remiss not to mention Bernita Buncher and the Buncher Foundation here in Pittsburgh who had the vision for it long before I did. And, but what I have learned is, well, here is an example. I had a mom in the middle of the pandemic sobbing on the phone with me and I said, what is it? She said, Charlie, I need that stroller. I just want to get my son out of the house for 10 minutes. And there's been a lot of focus in America about the impact of the pandemic on typical kids and what's happened educationally. Well, we also need to shine the light on what's happened to kids with disabilities. There's been significant impact. And she just— this mom just wanted to get her son around the block for 10 minutes in fresh air safely. Again, can't we do that? Isn't this possible? This shouldn't be something we just talk about. Again, we must act. So I'm so very grateful for the My Stroller program. I confess I just didn't understand how important it was, and I do now from listening to the parents. Again, doesn't that— Joyce, you do this all the time. Isn't that where it goes back? Let's start by listening, and then we can create programs out of listening.

Oh, how true about the listening part. Yeah, that's true. You know, when did My Voice start, Charlie? When did it start and how did it start?

Well, that's a perfect example. My Voice started in 2014, and what happened was a mom who, when her daughter was 7, she received an adaptive bike from her And she calls me up a year later. Her daughter's 8 now, and she says, Charlie, could I tell you what happened in school today with my daughter? I said, well, sure, tell me. She said, well, the teacher called— and her daughter was nonverbal— the teacher called and said, your daughter's telling stories through her communication device in school. And the mom said to me, I've never heard my daughter tell a story. I didn't even know she could use a communication device. He said, I'd love to hear my daughter tell a story. So I began to look into it and realize that this is something we could do. We could get kids communication devices in concert with the speech-language pathologists who are some of my heroes. They're key to this. We're just the helpers, but the families along with the therapists, like the speech therapist, they're the real heroes here. They're giving their all, and the kids are really the ultimate heroes showing us how to fight and face adversity. But I, I'm proud that we started the My Voice program through, again, this theme we've been talking about all hour— listening, and listening especially to the people we want to serve. The answers aren't in the ivory tower, in the academic or even legislation. I think it begins by listening to those we want to serve. What do they see are the challenges? And so then we've launched this My Voice program, which gives kids a communication device and the speech-language pathologist choose the right communication app. And it's been marvelous. In fact, yesterday, a 3-year-old who is using sign language with her mom. She's just beginning to work on the communication device. Her mom says to her, because she signs to her mom that she wants a drink, and her mom says, tell me through the communication device what drink you want. She can flip through, and you know what she said? And I'm listening. She said apple juice. She wanted apple juice, but she had the independence. And I think what's important is Not everyone knows sign language, so if you have a communication device, a talker so to speak, that you can use, it says apple juice. Oh, well then mom knows what to get her because maybe later she's going to say she wants orange juice, or maybe it's milk. And we all want to make— let's be honest, we all want to choose what we eat and drink. Very basic. And that's just the beginning of this. Remember that we all want to, right? We want to say, well, I don't really want I want potato chips. I want pretzels. I don't want a hot dog. I want a hamburger. And so I think this is great empowerment to give the families, the kids, the opportunity to choose. Like, I was in York this year, Pennsylvania, middle of Pennsylvania for your listeners, and a mother whose 8-year-old is getting a bike right there that day. We're presenting him a bike. He'd already gotten weeks before the communication device. And here's what the mom tells me. He says, Charlie, even though he's 8, I've never heard him say I love you. So we got the talker from you, the communication device, and the other night I said to him, I love you, buddy, like I've said thousands of times. He gets his communication device, which is an adapted iPad, so it's not big. But he orients his body right to me and he says through the device, "I love you more." And then he pushes the communication device aside and he comes over, he throws his arms around my neck and squeezes me so tight. I mean, shouldn't every son and mom be able to have those moments? She didn't care that it was through a device. She knew her son was choosing to say, "I love you more," which is what his little personal touch is, "I love you more." And I think communication should be a right. I don't think we should be debating that some kids can communicate and some can't. All children need to have the chance to communicate, whatever method, whether it's a voice like you and I are doing. And I must admit, here's the challenge with this. I take it for granted. I'm talking to you, you're listening or hearing around the world, and I need to stop and realize to talk, to communicate, to have a voice is a privilege because many of the kids we serve do not have that same privilege. And so the My Voice program has been out of this world, and, and whenever you think it's right, I have another story for you that we can share about Mia.

That, um, go ahead, you can share it right now. Go right ahead.

Okay, well, 3 years ago, about 3 and a half now, when, when Mia, who's a 4-year-old non-verbal with autism, I meet her, she has no words, she cannot communicate verbally. We give her a communication device that the speech-language pathologist has set up for her. Her parents are all excited, and so she's making progress, but takes 3 years. So she turned 7 in 2022. So 3 years she's working on the device. Right after she turned 7, I turned 67— about to turn 68 actually now. But on my birthday, if your listeners can imagine this, I look at my cell phone because they live in the center of Pennsylvania. And there's a message from Mia's mom that says, Charlie, Mia wanted to send you something special for your birthday. And here's this 17-second video which I'll cherish now till forever. And on this video, if your listeners can picture it in their mind's eye, here's Mia singing me with her own voice happy birthday. And I'll never forget it. Happy birthday, Mr. Charlie, she sings. And then after the video, she adds, have a nice day. She's talking with her own voice. And what my good friend Leo Gerard, who had the— who was retired now but was the international president for the United Steelworkers has said is, Charlie, her whole future— and this is a point Joyce, you believe— is ahead of her now. She's not going to be on the government rolls. She's going to be working. She's going to ultimately be paying taxes and contributing. She'll be an active participant member of society, and she's going to go to work just like everybody else goes to work.

What a great story. Oh my God, what a great story. That is— yeah, you'll never forget that. Ever, never ever. That is such a great story, Charlie. Well, before we close the show today, I have a question for people listening right now throughout Pennsylvania or in West Virginia, and they're hearing this saying, oh, I, I, I need to get in touch. I have a child with a disability that could use MyVoice or the stroller or MyBike. How, what do they do?

Well, really all they need to do is again go to our website varietypittsburgh.org. We have the application online. They can either print it out, we can mail it to them if they need it. But what we're finding now is even in some of the rural areas, many of our families, the overwhelming majority, are applying online because it's faster. And so then, you know, we need their therapist. If it's a bike, a physical therapist, or occupational. If it's a communication device, a speech-language pathologist. But the families tell us this is the easiest application they've ever filled out, and it's just a modified Children's Health Insurance Program application, which I knew the families loved. And then the therapist, we streamlined the process for them. We're not asking them to write 15, 20-page letters. They get it to us in a page and a half. We get all the information Set up the device and out it goes. And if it's a bike, we do what we did yesterday. We go to Covestro. Tomorrow I'm going down to Range Resources, a gas company that's been so supportive of us. We're going to give away equipment and adaptive bikes tomorrow. So I would encourage the families to move as quickly as possible. If you're— you go to our website varietypittsburgh.org and you see that you're eligible. And by the way, The income guidelines are higher than any other social service program I know. So don't be discouraged. Go check it out. It might be for your child, your grandchild. And that would be— I can't think of anything more thrilling than to be able to call Joyce Bender later and say, Joyce, this family got their bike or their stroller or their voice because they heard it on your radio program. I think that would knock me out.

Me too. And you know what, if you're listening right now and you're thinking, oh, I wish so-and-so had heard this, they have a child, this would be great. Easy. All you have to do is tell them, go to Spotify, go to voiceamerica.com, go to benderconsult.com. All these shows are on demand. They can hear it, you can share it. And you know what, what a great Christmas gift for some child. That bike or voice or stroller. So please, if you know of anyone, and I'm going to have this out on our social media, make sure you share this news. Well, I want to thank you, Charlie, and thank all of our listeners for being with me today. I love Charlie. I love Variety. I think this is such a great program and Before we end, don't forget, go look at the website. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. I will talk to you all next week, and in Mary Brooker's words, remember, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you Thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.