VOICE FOR JOANIE
Finds a New Home

Voice For Joanie, a non-profit corporation that provides assistive technology to people suffering with Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or "ALS"), announces the relocation of its Connecticut headquarters to 4 Oxford Road, Unit D 1, Milford, CT 06460. At the new location Voice for Joanie will share the offices of the Connecticut headquarters of the ALS Association. The move will take effect on May 1, 2003.

Shirley Fredlund, founder and executive director of Voice for Joanie said: "We look forward to broader outreach through the Connecticut Chapter of the ALS Association, a national organization conducting research into ALS."

Voice for Joanie was founded in 1990 in memory of Joanie Margaitis, a Connecticut resident afflicted with ALS. For the last 12 years, Voice for Joanie has provided assistive technology, free of charge, to 385 people with ALS and other debilitating diseases in Connecticut and New York. The technology consists of computer-based voice communicators that allow people to use limited physical movements, such as eye-blinks, to speak with their family, friends and care-givers. Through technology, clients can express their basic needs, thoughts and emotions and maintain some control over their environment. The nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization is operated solely by volunteers.

The success of Voice for Joanie can be found in the testamonials of its clients:

Client Gail: "I now sit at my computer an average of 35 hours per week! I absolutely love it. I can't utter one intelligible word so I find great solace in knowing that I have some way to communicate. Without my computer, I would probably go crazy because I have the insatiable desire to be understood."

"What do I do on my computer besides communicate with my family? I run my household from shopping lists to planning for vacations and holidays. I write letters, poems and articles. I have freedom and creativity with this computer. I use it to converse with my family and guests. I even call family and friends and play happy birthday! I'm having fun."

"If you ever wonder what good you are doing, just read my letter over and over and over again! I couldn't live without Voice for Joanie."