A star-studded gala with John Krasinski, MMA fighter Curtis “Razor” Blaydes, and singer Amanda Mammana attend the AIS 18th Gala to celebrate those who “are excellent and stutter”.
This star-studded gala took place in a gorgeous Upper East Side ballroom this Monday to celebrate several incredible guests who achieved great success in their field and are people who stutter. We purposely do not say they succeeded despite their stutter, as the message from the AIS is that those who stutter can be successful and embrace their stutter. It is not something they have to overcome to be successful and can be part of their success.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 16: (L-R) Emily Blunt and John Krasinski attend the American Institute for Stuttering 18th Annual Gala Hosted by Emily Blunt on September 16, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Institute for Stuttering)
The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS) is “a leading not-for-profit Center whose primary mission is to provide universally affordable, state-of-the-art speech therapy to people of all ages who stutter, guidance to their families, and much-needed clinical training to speech professionals wishing to gain expertise in stuttering.” At its 18th annual gala, we were able to interview Emily Blunt, the host of the evening, on her greatest milestones at AIS, how she educates her children to embrace differences, and her message to children who stutter.
The gala’s message this year in celebrating those who stutter is “I’m excellent and I stutter”, which perfectly encapsulates our other two interviewees, MMA Fighter Curtis “Razor” Blaydes and singer Amanda Mammana’s achievements.
After a gorgeous red carpet and cocktail hour, the guests were welcomed to the main ballroom for dinner and an awards ceremony. The evening honored Will Blodgett, founder of Tredway, a real estate development firm focused on creating and preserving affordable homes for those in need. The AIS also awarded UFC Heavyweight fighter Curtis “Razor” Blaydes and Joshua Ezeudu, Offensive Lineman of the New York Giants the first-ever American Institute for Stuttering Hall of Fame Award to celebrate their unwavering confidence in their field and their proud embrace of their stutter.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 16: Curtis “Razor” Blaydes accepts the 2024 Hall of Fame award from Emily Blunt onstage during the American Institute for Stuttering 18th Annual Gala Hosted by Emily Blunt on September 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Institute for Stuttering)
On top of the awards ceremony, we also heard from Jimmy Li, a 16-year-old who benefitted from AIS’s services, and his journey in embracing his stutter and thriving with speech therapy.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 16: Jimmy Li speaks onstage during the American Institute for Stuttering 18th Annual Gala Hosted by Emily Blunt on September 16, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Institute for Stuttering)
