By CONOR SHEA
Executive Editor
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On Saturday, Sept. 13 The College of Saint Rose hosted the fifth annual “Moving Message Walk” to raise funds to help survivors of brain injury and stroke with their speech therapy needs.
The benefit walk lasted from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. around the Saint Rose campus quad, and persisted despite the rain and drop in temperature.
Along the periphery of the quad, tables and tents were set up to sell crafts, artwork, jewelry, baskets, movie passes, and products from local businesses. There were also vendors, face painters, free food, and music throughout the event.
The event was not limited to only Saint Rose students, and members of the surrounding community were encouraged to attend. The cost of admission was $15 for the general public, and $10 for Saint Rose students.
Once the precipitation began to fall, the vast majority of the vendors and patrons made their way under a large tent in the center of the quad.
Laura Flynn, a fifth-year student at Saint Rose, volunteered her time at the event in the hopes of raising money and awareness.
On the unfortunateness of the weather she said, “I think it made it better, because everyone ran under the tent so we all gathered closer together.”
“I was next to five people that I hadn’t met, and if we had the sun I probably would have been out and about,” she continued.
Flynn, a communications sciences and disorders major, said this was her second time attending the Moving Message Walk, and that given her intended field, the event really hit home for her. “I’ve been raising money all year for it, so I was invited to have a table to sell jewelry and crocheted products that I made. I was able to donate $200 to the cause.”
This walk was created by the Communication Support Groups at Saint Rose, with the purpose of addressing the needs of the survivors of brain injury and stroke. As it stands, many of these individuals are not provided long-term assistance, 
as their medical insurance covers only short-term therapy.
Proceeds from the Moving Message are put into the Moving Message Fund, which is used to provide aid for individuals who may need, but are not covered for, long-term speech therapy.
In addition, the Moving Message Fund is available for supplemental resources for speech therapy treatment. This would include, but is not limited to, communication devices, e-readers, and other technology to assist the process of recovery.
Keri Latiolais sat behind the table for Northend Woodworking, where she was selling various wood pieces of her husband’s design. Her husband, Matthew Latiolais, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009, and has since joined the communication support group that Saint Rose offers.
“It’s really amazing. My husband is in the group, and it was pretty life-changing to find it. What he’s done since he’s been there is really impressive.”
Because of this, both he and his wife chose to give back to the Moving Message Fund by donating their earnings from the wood pieces they sold on Saturday.
For information on next year’s Moving Message Walk, contact Julie Hart in the Lally School of Education at 518-485-3944 or hartj@strose.edu.
