Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter
We are the only 501(c)(3) national non-profit organization dedicated solely to empowering young people who stutter and their families.
Friends 2024 Year-End Giving Campaign
Help us build a world where every child, teen, and adult who stutters feels accepted and is empowered to communicate whenever, wherever, and however they choose.
Over the past year, we’ve had our largest national convention to date, revitalized our one-day conferences in 11 cities, offered a record number of virtual groups expanding to more than 16 countries—and provided more scholarships than ever before, ensuring more families could join our community. In 2025, we’re excited to continue building a world where people who stutter are empowered, supported, and heard.
Our Mission
Friends aims to provide support, education and empowerment to children and teens who stutter, their families and clinicians.
Our annual conventions and regional one day conferences provide the opportunities for life-changing experiences that can impact long lasting feelings about stuttering and offer new hope for a life with stuttering. Friends seeks to make life easier for young people who stutter and their families.
Our Story
In 1997, Friends was founded by John Ahlbach and Lee Caggiano to meet the need for organized support and education for young people who stutter and their families. Over the years, we have expanded into a national organization that hosts a large annual convention each July and many regional one-day conferences around the country throughout the year.