Megan Wardlow
My experience as a speech pathologist prior to moving to North Carolina was in a rehab clinic and skilled nursing facility. I often found myself wishing I had more time to “just talk” with my patients and found it frustrating when insurance companies said “no more therapy” to patients who had suffered from a stroke or a traumatic brain injury. After moving here in 2020, a new friend discovered I was a speech language pathologist and told me all about TAP. “What a great concept!” I thought. Why hadn’t I come up with this brilliant idea? I was thrilled to know such a community and program existed because I knew from experience that the need was real, but I honestly did not give it much thought past that. We had just moved to North Carolina, and because of Covid and my children’s ages, I thought I would not have much to offer any organization or job.
Next thing I knew, I was contacted by Maura, asking if I’d be interested in serving on TAP’s Development Committee. Everything would be virtual, so I said yes. I had recently served on the board of another non-profit and jumped at the opportunity to find a way to contribute to the greater good in the area. The rest is history. I now lead the TED Talk group once a week and cover when I can for other groups.
TAP combines all the things I am passionate about: communication, conversation, speech therapy, relationships, service, and charitable giving. Giving my time and money to TAP is easy. I look forward to seeing my group members every week – seeing them grow and meet their goals, but especially listening to their thoughts and insights. Everyone has a story to tell, and I am pleased I get to hear so many and facilitate conversations between some of the most interesting and bravest people I know.
We don’t know what life will serve us, so we must spend the time we have doing the most good we can. TAP does the MOST good for those with aphasia because it allows people to practice skills learned in speech therapy and provides additional resources after insurance is exhausted. Please, join my family and I and become TAP sustaining donors (Ice Breakers). Recurring donations are critical to the stability and long-term success of this phenomenal organization. 12 Days of TAP could easily turn into 12 months of gracious giving.