It all began through a series of fortuitous events. In 2020, the year before DePaul University welcomed its inaugural cohort of speech-language pathology students, Dr. Jayne Jaskolski was deeply involved in the Chicago community, building meaningful partnerships.
One meeting brought her to Chicago Speech Therapy, a pediatric therapy practice founded by Karen George. Jayne had heard of Karen and her team and was familiar with their reputation for delivering exceptional speech therapy services.
“When I was seeking partners and therapy centers that could collaborate with DePaul, Chicago Speech Therapy and Karen George were at the top of my list. But I never expected that this connection would lead me to serve internationally,” Jayne shared.
Karen George and her team had a strong passion for addressing the unmet needs of children requiring therapy. “Outside of the U.S., many children receive little to no therapy services,” Karen explained. “It’s heartbreaking.” Determined to be part of the solution, Karen and her senior team brainstormed ways to expand their reach—and that’s how Therapy Volunteers was born.
In 2018, through what was then known as Therapy Adventures, Karen and her team began forming partnerships with organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean. One of their key partnerships was with Autism Belize, a nonprofit founded by Christy Almeida that supports Belizean families impacted by autism.
One day, Jayne received an invitation from Therapy Volunteers to spend a week in Belize and participate in a cross-cultural service trip. The opportunity perfectly aligned with DePaul’s Speech-Language Pathology Program’s mission of fostering a global perspective and serving underserved communities.
Jayne, along with a group of volunteer students, clinicians, and Therapy Volunteers’ local staff, traveled to Belize. The experience was transformative for Jayne, who is committed to DePaul’s Vincentian mission of serving others with compassion and humility.
“To say the experience was life-changing is an understatement,” Jayne said. “It was a deeply transformative journey that allowed us to support the meaningful work already being done in Belize while emphasizing cultural responsiveness. This trip was a rich opportunity for our team to reflect on our own cultural humility and growth throughout the process.”
Since returning, Jayne has been working with her program on several initiatives to continue collaborating with Therapy Volunteers and to return to Belize with DePaul students. She is also spreading the word about the organization’s impactful work in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The field of speech-language pathology is full of unimaginable relationships and unexpected partnerships,” Jayne reflected. “I never imagined that a connection with Chicago Speech Therapy would lead me to Therapy Volunteers and the amazing people of Belize, but I am beyond grateful and blessed that it did.”
Through their shared missions and values, DePaul University and Therapy Volunteers have formed a partnership built on service, cultural awareness, and a commitment to creating lasting change in underserved communities.
