Oct. 31, 2024

Former NBA star and advocate for people who stutter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will visit the University of Rhode Island and schools in Warwick and North Kingstown on Nov. 7 to meet with children and adults who stutter, and share his journey to athletic and business success despite being a lifelong stutterer himself.

Kidd-Gilchrist, who played eight seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Charlotte Hornets, is CEO of Change & Impact, a nonprofit organization he founded in 2021 to improve health care access for individuals who stutter and expand the resources available to them. The issue is personal to him, and part of his mission is to meet with other people who stutter, share his experiences, and inspire them to move beyond the often lifelong disorder to find success and happiness. Kidd-Gilchrist will meet with students who stutter at area middle and high schools, followed by a presentation on the URI Kingston Campus that evening.

WHO: The University of Rhode Island Department of Communicative Disorders will host former NBA player, advocate for people who stutter, and CEO of non-profit organization Change & Impact Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the Kingston Campus and at area middle and high schools.

WHAT: Kidd-Gilchrist, who is a frequent advocate for the stuttering community before federal and state legislators across the country, will meet with students who stutter at area schools Nov. 7. Speech language pathologists in the school districts are arranging for transportation across schools for students who stutter to meet with Kidd-Gilchrist. He will then offer a public presentation on the URI Kingston Campus at 6 p.m.

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 7

WHERE: Warwick Veterans Memorial Middle School, 9:15 a.m.; North Kingstown High School, 10:45 a.m.; Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences, URI’s Kingston campus, 6 p.m.

CONTACT: Patrick Luce, public information specialist, URI Communications, 401-347-6360, patrickluce@uri.edu.