CANADIAN ELK ÉLAN CANADIEN - Elks of Canada

Eight-year-old Tyler MacDonald, who was featured in an
earlier edition to the Canadian Elk, continues to do well.
He can certainly relate to Colin Firth’s King George from
The King’s Speech. Just last year, Tyler lacked confidence
and was too frightened to put up his hand in class
because of his stutter.
“He didn’t want to be in social settings. He didn’t like
going to school or hockey,” says Terry MacDonald,
Tyler’s father. After ISTAR’s speech therapy treatment
with Elizabeth Haynes, Tyler is now a confident tyke who
loves playing hockey. He likes school now too. “He’s a
chatterbox at home now,” Terry smiles as he watched
his son answer media questions.
“My relationship with my son has improved so much
after being involved in his treatment at ISTAR,” says
Terry. “Tyler’s progress in school and sports has
improved as a result of his new confidence because of
ISTAR.”
Tyler MacDonald and his father Terry
And boy, did everyone see that confidence exude as
Tyler soaked up the attention at a media event to
announce ISTAR’s expansion to Calgary on Feb. 15.
ISTAR expanded to Calgary to help people just like Tyler
for whom travel to Edmonton would be difficult or impossible.
Tyler did interviews with CTV, Global, CBC,
Calgary Herald, 660 News, QR77 and Shaw TV, and
each interview went off without a hitch.
Treating the King Georges of Calgary:
Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research
expands to Calgary
by Laurie Wang
39
A special part of the Calgary opening was the celebration
of the Elks and Royal Purple. Past and present
clients and friends of ISTAR joined us at the event at the
University of Alberta’s Calgary Centre to say Thank You.
ISTAR presented a plaque to the Elks and Royal Purple
and Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell, Dean of the University of
Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine honoured
the Elks and Royal Purple for their outstanding support
of ISTAR over the years saying “Without you, ISTAR and
our expansion to Calgary wouldn’t have been possible.”
Left to right: Don Rush, AB Elks Foundation; Sharon
McLean, Supreme Associate Royal Lady; Arnold
Claxton; Catherine Leonard; Julie Sharp; Duane Felt,
Grand Esquire; Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell, Dean of the
University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation
Medicine; Marilyn Langevin, Acting Executive Director,
ISTAR
The ISTAR Calgary satellite office is located just north of
downtown in the Hillhurst Building. For more information,
visit www.istar.ualberta.ca.
About The Institute for Stuttering Treatment and
Research (ISTAR)
ISTAR is a self-funded institute in the Faculty of
Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta. Our
mission is to serve people of all ages who stutter,
through excellence in treatment, clinical research, clinical
training, and public education.
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