How a Village On The Isle Grant Helped a Stuttering Advocate Graduate Debt-Free
Kaela Coye, a second-year Speech-Language Pathology graduate student at the University of South Florida, is completing her education debt-free due to financial support from senior residents at Village On The Isle in Venice. The assistance covers tuition and books for the low-income, first-generation student.
Financing Higher Education Through Resident-Funded Grants
Coye received $3,900 per semester through the VOTI Educational Grants program, bringing her total financial support from the community to $11,700 across two years. Funded entirely through resident donations at Village On The Isle, the program supports full-time, part-time, salaried, seasonal, and PRN employees—along with their dependent children—seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees, professional credentials, or trade certificates after 6 to 12 months of continuous service.
Eligible applicants can receive up to $7,000 per year for approved courses, while dependent children qualify for up to $4,000 per calendar year. Doug Feller, CEO of VOTI, noted the broad community backing behind the initiative. Our residents are incredibly proud to offer our employees the financial means to further their education and follow their dreams,
Feller stated.
Expanding Access to Training and Professional Credentials
Established in 1987 with its first grant awarded in 1990, the VOTI Educational Grant program has distributed financial support to 287 employees. In 2026, the community provided $35,000 in scholarships, following a 2025 distribution of more than $80,000 across 33 grants. Coye first joined Village On The Isle in 2019 as a server while attending Venice High School before advancing into graduate studies.
Paying my tuition was always a worry for me, so to be able to go to school debt-free – I don’t think they understand how grateful I am,
Coye said. My education is because of them.
Shifting Perspectives in Speech-Language Pathology
Beyond financial relief, Coye’s trajectory intersects with an evolving professional approach toward communication disorders. Having grown up with a stutter, she experienced speech therapy directed at eliminating the condition rather than fostering self-acceptance. Active in the National Stuttering Association, she now advocates for holistic care models that emphasize acceptance and reduce avoidance behaviors.
Stuttering is a neurophysiological difference in the way I talk,
Coye explained. There is no magic fix or specific intervention that will make me not stutter. Thankfully, the outlook on stuttering in the field is starting to change and care is focusing more on a holistic approach and less on trying to ‘fix’ it and more on acceptance.
With her graduate education supported by the Venice community, Coye plans to bring this patient-centered framework into her future clinical practice.