Ex-Baylor QB Jeffrey tells Hope Fest audience his battle to overcome a stuttering problem

Imagine not being able to verbally communicate with others but having an undying love for a career where speaking is essential.

That's what Neal Jeffrey, associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church of Dallas, faced growing up.

Jeffrey's testimony about overcoming his stutter is what caught the attention of Executive Director of Sharing Hope Ministry April Riggs, and why he was selected as the guest speaker for the 13th Annual Hope Fest Banquet, held Thursday in the Heritage Ballroom at Amarillo Civic Center.

"Stuttering could have been a huge problem, but Jeffrey overcame his obstacles to achieve his goals set in his life," Riggs said.

Jeffrey loved sports, especially football and aspired to be a NFL quarterback but was born with a speech impediment that could potentially derail his dream.

"I've always stuttered as a kid," Jeffrey said. "I loved to play football and wanted to be a quarterback. Even though I had that problem of not being able to talk, playing football was my dream."

Jeffrey started going to speech therapy at age 5 and continued therapy throughout his life.

"Back in the '50s when I was a kid, obviously they didn't have as much speech therapy and help for special needs as they do now," he said.

Jeffrey said he went to TCU and worked with the speech pathologist there and at school at least twice a week.

"I would go to a private speech therapist all the way through junior high," he said. "I struggled tremendously all the way through high school. I would try to talk and say things but it was just hard."

Thankfully, Jeffrey always had coaches who gave him a chance.

"I was blessed to get a chance to perform and had people that believed in me," he said. "I never had people say to me, 'you can't talk, you should do something else'."

Jeffrey went on to become an All-American quarterback at Baylor University and led the Bears to their first Southwest Conference championship in 50 years - after that, he became an NFL quarterback for the San Diego Chargers.

"I followed my dreams all the way through," Jeffrey said.

But it was in college that he was turned around, he said. What he had tried to avoid - speaking publicly - he then decided was something he would not give up on.

"When I speak, the first thing I'm going to say is, 'I'm a stutterer and, well, that means I stutter,'" Jeffrey said. "Then I started telling some funny stories about stuttering as a kid and not being able to speak.

"I tell people when I get stuck, 'wait a minute, something's coming.'"

After embracing and accepting stuttering, Jeffrey overcame his fear of public speaking.

"As soon as I got over the fear of what people thought and how they would respond to my stuttering, that helped," Jeffrey said. "I still stutter, but not like I used to. It's still a struggle but I learned through the years that God could use me as a stutterer and encourage other people because we all struggle with something."

Sharing Hope Ministry is a faith-based nonprofit that works with women who are incarcerated or who are residing in addiction rehabilitation facilities in 41 states, she said.

"Hope Fest is a fundraiser that directly benefits all programs of Sharing Hope Ministry," Riggs said. "We also want for Hope Fest to bring awareness to the community. Women are the fastest growing demographic in prisons today and some of the causes are poverty and drugs."

Because Sharing Hope Ministry does not receive government funding or grants, it receives funds strictly from fundraisers, Riggs said.

Sharing Hope Ministry provides Life Recovery Bibles and Bible study materials free of charge, and aftercare assistance to any qualified woman.

Patsy's Place is a Christ-centered transitional home that mentors and nurtures women as they struggle to cope with the overwhelming obstacles they face upon release from county jail or prison.

Kim Braswell, Patsy's Place staff and former inmate, knows first-hand what's like to be given a second chance in life.

Braswell has worked with Patsy's place two years and is attending her third Hope Fest.

She always enjoys the speakers, she said.

"I was an inmate at one time. I spent two years in the TDC system," Braswell said. "So when I came here, I was in awe of how generous people are and how kind their hearts are to give to people they don't even know."

Braswell said Patsy's Place personally changed her life and can be an example for other women who are incarcerated or going through the rehabilitation process.

"Just because you used to be an ex-inmate/ex-offender doesn't mean that's your role in life anymore," she said. "When you're first released from jail, you feel stigmatized and labeled and it's really hard to get a job."

"I was blessed to get a job with Patsy's Place," Braswell said.

"People say all day long, others deserve second chances but it's a different story when it comes to hiring and they do a background check and see you have a record," she said.

Through faith and determination, Braswell has gone back to college and is setting new life goals for herself.

"Everyone is unique and created by God for a good purpose," Jeffrey said.

"Bottom line, there's a place where I can find something meaningful on this earth, somewhere that I fit so God can use me because we are all unique and that's the journey in life ... finding it."