Pass the Hat for the Next 40
In 1986, a small group of voice and speech trainers gathered in New York City with a shared vision: to create a professional home for practitioners dedicated to advancing the art and practice of voice and speech training. As the story goes, there were only a handful of people in the room—and a wastebasket passed around to collect startup funds.
“I remember sitting in a room in NYC where we "passed the hat" collecting whatever pocket cash one could spare for a "dream" organization that didn't even have a name yet."
—Kate Ufema, VASTA Voice, Winter 1998 |
That simple act of collective generosity became part of VASTA's founding story.
VASTA was not created by a single institution, corporation, or benefactor. It was built by members who believed in the value of this work and were willing to contribute whatever they could to make the dream a reality.
Over the years, VASTA members have continued to "pass the hat" whenever the organization was ready to take its next step. In 1997, members were invited to help launch the Voice and Speech Review through a special pass the hat campaign. In the early 2000s, the hat was passed once again to launch VASTA’s endowment.
Now, as VASTA celebrates 40 years of connection, advocacy, learning, and professional development, we invite you to help carry that legacy forward.
VASTA exists because members continue to sustain it together through the same shared stewardship that originally created our organization.
For VASTA to thrive for the next 40 years, we all have a role to play.
Drop some change into the hat for VASTA’s Awards & Grants, Annual Conference, Voice and Speech Review, or Mentorship Program.
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