10News Leadership Award Winner Karen Hesley

10News.com – San Diego,CA,USA
As a result, today there are 5 TC groups located in Phoenix, San Diego,
Encinitas, Orange County and Walnut Creek, all started in connection
with Karen’s …

0News honors Karen Hesley for creating ‘Tremble Clef’, a singing group that assists Parkinson’s disease patients with the vocal exercises necessary to enhance their speech.

Karen Hesley, a speech therapist, initiated the first group, after her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and she learned about the needs these people have.

Karen began the program in 1994. She also motivated other people to start their own programs. As a result, today there are 5 TC groups located in Phoenix, San Diego, Encinitas, Orange County and Walnut Creek, all started in connection with Karen’s assistance.

Besides being a vocal enhancement program, Tremble Clef also provides information and assistance to those interested in developing a TC group in their vicinity. Karen’s group in San Diego has 36 members. Karen helped to over 80 TC members over the period of years that she run the program.

Tremble Clef is free for all members to participate.

Karen started her first group in Phoenix, working as a volunteer for 4 years. After Karen’s move to San Diego in 2001, TC program gained support from the Parkinson’s disease Association of San Diego from the start. Today, as the program grew Karen gained a small stipend for those countless hours she have spent and still spends learning, researching and committing to the group.

Karen spends at least 10 hours a week with a group, with more time during events and personal time spent on writing grants. In addition to her duties at TC group, Karen is currently involved with organizing the concert that will take place in San Diego this June, in which all the members of Tremble Clefs group are participating.