Vision Statement
Ben Speaks . . . creating a culture where all people are valued and supported to be their best selves.
​
​Our Mission
Ben Speaks provides positive channels of expression for youth, families and communities through events, education and resources.
​
Who is a BEN?
Are you a Ben?
Are you raising a Ben?
Are you teaching a Ben?
Do you know a Ben . . . an at-risk youth in your community
​
What is a BEN?
-
A Ben is unique and beats to his or her own drum
-
A Ben is artistic, creative, intuitive, sensitive and empathetic
-
A Ben is labelled with a mental illness or learning disability at an early age
-
A Ben is often medicated
-
A Ben feels like a misfit and is an easy mark for the bully or becomes one himself
-
A Ben tends to self-harm in some way as a teenager
-
A Ben becomes isolated and left out
-
A Ben is not broken
-
A Ben has one or many gifts to bring to the world
-
There is a little bit of Ben in all of us
​
Ben's Story
In a fleeting moment of despair, Benjamin Giovangelo, our beautiful, intuitive, creative, sensitive and loving son, chose to end his life on April 16, 2009, just six days after his 18th birthday. Benjamin struggled with Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) beginning early on in his life, and so did his family, both with him and the stigma of mental illness.
Ben Speaks Louder Than Words was born through his loss and today is a powerful voice in the world for change through the team at Ben Speaks Louder Than Words.
Everyone knows a Ben . . . an at-risk youth in your community.
Together we can support all Ben’s to thrive.
A Ben is:
-
Labelled with a mental illness or learning disability at an early age.
-
Often medicated
-
Artistic, creative, intuitive, sensitive and empathetic.
-
Someone who feels like a misfit.
-
An easy mark for the bully or becomes one himself.
-
Someone who tends to self-harm in some way as a teenager.
-
Isolated and left out.
A Ben is NOT broken. A Ben has gifts to bring to the world. There is a little bit of Ben in all of us.
From the beginning, Ben was given medication to attempt to manage his behavior to fit him into our current education and social systems. He received the message early and often that there was something wrong with him. He experienced much ostracizing and bullying. As his parents, we did our best to find alternative ways to work with Ben and, over the years, we had learned many tools to deal with this bright, sensitive, intuitive, and energetic child.
Our family suffered greatly with little to no resources to support our son. Over the years of raising Ben, although his life ended tragically, he made great strides through a combination of supporting strategies. Through medicine, therapy, yoga, breathing techniques, the power of intention, positive channels for the emotions, monthly massage and more. We created a powerful toolbox for change for our mentally ill son, beginning with seeing and focusing on his gifts. With this combination of support and shift in consciousness, Ben, between the age of 12 and his last day of life made marked changes.
Those major shifts include going from…
-
Being a student behind in school with many learning challenges to catching up and passing his MCAS exam
-
80 mgs of Prozac to less than 10 mgs of Lorazapan for anxiety and 10 mgs of Ritalin for focus.
-
Being overweight and low energy to growing tall and gorgeous.
-
Being alone, friendless, unpopular and sitting alone for over a year at the lunch room table at his high school to growing more and more comfortable in his own skin and attracting girls like he had never known.
​
So what happened? Well, in addition to his other challenges, Ben was a child who “brain-locked”, a term used by Ross Greene, PhD, the author of “The Explosive Child.” Dr. Greene is the Director of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology at the Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. This book describes “brain-lock” as the clinical and physical response to the ability of the OCD brain to process immense frustration. Brain-locking adequately describes the thousands of times when Ben would come up against situations where he couldn’t get what he wanted and acted extremely inappropriately. He would literally fight to his death in opposition to controlling forces. Those of us around him had to find creative, innovative approaches to move through whatever issues arose on a daily basis. He wanted things to be fair and just.
Whenever something came in the form of force or “power over,” he was a counter force to be reckoned with and would push back even harder. It was very difficult for Ben and us as his family unit, stress-filled and intense on a daily basis, but we had made great strides by the time his 18th birthday arrived, so much so that Ben was finally making and holding onto friendships, getting better grades, and holding a job. Socially, he succeeded in becoming a kid that was loved after many years of “not fitting in.” He was on top of the world.
An incident occurred on April 16, 2009 that resulted in Ben’s suspension from school and from attending his prom, which must have felt like having the rug pulled out from underneath this one major success in his short life - social acceptance by his peers. On the day he took his life, we believe the loss of his prom caused him to brain-lock. We wish that this decision had not been made so quickly and do not understand why, given Ben’s history, we did not have a chance to meet with his team collectively before his sentence was handed down. If we had, I believe that Ben would still be here with us now.
Ben went home and took his life that day. His last message to us included the line “I just don’t see the point.” Resignation at so young an age, after 18 years of pushing against an antiquated system… and currently we have an epidemic of suicide amongst our young people. Since his death, Ben has been speaking louder than words to me, his mother. I am taking a stand because we must find better ways to support these gifted, sensitive, and exceptional children.
There is a lot that I still do not know or understand. But what I do know is this: every day is a choice and each of us, no matter what life challenges we face, get to choose life or death in every moment and that we are powerful creators without measure.
Through Ben, I have become a role model for change and a teacher, mentor and voice for accountability and growing oneself strong from the inside out. I live my life in gratitude for this opportunity to serve through the countless lessons and blessings I have learned in the raising and loss of Ben Giovangelo, who continues to be my greatest teacher.
With All My Love,
Judy Giovangelo
​
​
​
​
Vision Statement
Ben Speaks . . . creating a culture where all people are valued and supported to be their best selves.
​
​Our Mission
Ben Speaks provides positive channels of expression for youth, families and communities through events, education and resources.
​
Who is a BEN?
Are you a Ben?
Are you raising a Ben?
Are you teaching a Ben?
Do you know a Ben . . . an at-risk youth in your community
​
What is a BEN?
-
A Ben is unique and beats to his or her own drum
-
A Ben is artistic, creative, intuitive, sensitive and empathetic
-
A Ben is labelled with a mental illness or learning disability at an early age
-
A Ben is often medicated
-
A Ben feels like a misfit and is an easy mark for the bully or becomes one himself
-
A Ben tends to self-harm in some way as a teenager
-
A Ben becomes isolated and left out
-
A Ben is not broken
-
A Ben has one or many gifts to bring to the world
-
There is a little bit of Ben in all of us
​
Ben's Story
In a fleeting moment of despair, Benjamin Giovangelo, our beautiful, intuitive, creative, sensitive and loving son, chose to end his life on April 16, 2009, just six days after his 18th birthday. Benjamin struggled with Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) beginning early on in his life, and so did his family, both with him and the stigma of mental illness.
Ben Speaks Louder Than Words was born through his loss and today is a powerful voice in the world for change through the team at Ben Speaks Louder Than Words.
Everyone knows a Ben . . . an at-risk youth in your community.
Together we can support all Ben’s to thrive.
A Ben is:
-
Labelled with a mental illness or learning disability at an early age.
-
Often medicated
-
Artistic, creative, intuitive, sensitive and empathetic.
-
Someone who feels like a misfit.
-
An easy mark for the bully or becomes one himself.
-
Someone who tends to self-harm in some way as a teenager.
-
Isolated and left out.
A Ben is NOT broken. A Ben has gifts to bring to the world. There is a little bit of Ben in all of us.
From the beginning, Ben was given medication to attempt to manage his behavior to fit him into our current education and social systems. He received the message early and often that there was something wrong with him. He experienced much ostracizing and bullying. As his parents, we did our best to find alternative ways to work with Ben and, over the years, we had learned many tools to deal with this bright, sensitive, intuitive, and energetic child.
Our family suffered greatly with little to no resources to support our son. Over the years of raising Ben, although his life ended tragically, he made great strides through a combination of supporting strategies. Through medicine, therapy, yoga, breathing techniques, the power of intention, positive channels for the emotions, monthly massage and more. We created a powerful toolbox for change for our mentally ill son, beginning with seeing and focusing on his gifts. With this combination of support and shift in consciousness, Ben, between the age of 12 and his last day of life made marked changes.
Those major shifts include going from…
-
Being a student behind in school with many learning challenges to catching up and passing his MCAS exam
-
80 mgs of Prozac to less than 10 mgs of Lorazapan for anxiety and 10 mgs of Ritalin for focus.
-
Being overweight and low energy to growing tall and gorgeous.
-
Being alone, friendless, unpopular and sitting alone for over a year at the lunch room table at his high school to growing more and more comfortable in his own skin and attracting girls like he had never known.
​
So what happened? Well, in addition to his other challenges, Ben was a child who “brain-locked”, a term used by Ross Greene, PhD, the author of “The Explosive Child.” Dr. Greene is the Director of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology at the Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. This book describes “brain-lock” as the clinical and physical response to the ability of the OCD brain to process immense frustration. Brain-locking adequately describes the thousands of times when Ben would come up against situations where he couldn’t get what he wanted and acted extremely inappropriately. He would literally fight to his death in opposition to controlling forces. Those of us around him had to find creative, innovative approaches to move through whatever issues arose on a daily basis. He wanted things to be fair and just.
Whenever something came in the form of force or “power over,” he was a counter force to be reckoned with and would push back even harder. It was very difficult for Ben and us as his family unit, stress-filled and intense on a daily basis, but we had made great strides by the time his 18th birthday arrived, so much so that Ben was finally making and holding onto friendships, getting better grades, and holding a job. Socially, he succeeded in becoming a kid that was loved after many years of “not fitting in.” He was on top of the world.
An incident occurred on April 16, 2009 that resulted in Ben’s suspension from school and from attending his prom, which must have felt like having the rug pulled out from underneath this one major success in his short life - social acceptance by his peers. On the day he took his life, we believe the loss of his prom caused him to brain-lock. We wish that this decision had not been made so quickly and do not understand why, given Ben’s history, we did not have a chance to meet with his team collectively before his sentence was handed down. If we had, I believe that Ben would still be here with us now.
Ben went home and took his life that day. His last message to us included the line “I just don’t see the point.” Resignation at so young an age, after 18 years of pushing against an antiquated system… and currently we have an epidemic of suicide amongst our young people. Since his death, Ben has been speaking louder than words to me, his mother. I am taking a stand because we must find better ways to support these gifted, sensitive, and exceptional children.
There is a lot that I still do not know or understand. But what I do know is this: every day is a choice and each of us, no matter what life challenges we face, get to choose life or death in every moment and that we are powerful creators without measure.
Through Ben, I have become a role model for change and a teacher, mentor and voice for accountability and growing oneself strong from the inside out. I live my life in gratitude for this opportunity to serve through the countless lessons and blessings I have learned in the raising and loss of Ben Giovangelo, who continues to be my greatest teacher.
With All My Love,
Judy Giovangelo
​
​
​
​
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judy Giovangelo
​Founder, Vice President, Speaker, Director of Education & Resources
West Roxbury, MA | judygiovangelo@benspeaks.org
​
Judy Giovangelo has been a teacher and healer of energy medicine and the law of attraction for 20 years. She is a certified yoga instructor, Reiki, Sound and Intuitive Healer, Hypnotherapist and Spiritual Counsellor. She is the owner of the GROW YOU Healing & Art Center in Holliston, MA leading workshops through her GROW YOU Programs for youth and families.
​
Her personal mission is help sensitive intuitive people permanently remove the blocks that stand in the way of their dreams by providing an inside out approach to wellness. She is a gifted intuitive healer, workshop facilitator and expressive artist.
As the Founder of Ben Speaks whose mission is to provide positive channels of expression for youth, families & communities through events, education & resources with a vision to provide them with tools to help them develop & evolve, Judy is a role model and powerful teacher & speaker for change. She has delivered a powerful message to 100’s of youth audiences through her signature Power of Choice Presentation and is developing and executing a NEW curriculum called Power of Choice Leadership Training Program, as well as, developing a relationship with Ben Cares Community Partners to support greater access to resources for youth and families.
​She is the recipient of the following awards for her volunteerism and mission work: "Be The Change" through the Massachusetts Conference for Women, "A Hero Among Us" with the Boston Celtics and the "Myra Kraft Community MVP" with the New England Patriots.
​
Michael Giovangelo
President and Business Development
Framingham, MA | michaelgiovangelo@benspeaks.org
​
Michael was born and raised in Massachusetts and is Ben’s older brother. He is grateful to have the opportunity to serve youth through his commitment to Ben Speaks. He has been practicing professionally as a Realtor since 2016. Helping his clients and friends with all their real estate needs. His primary focus is selling residential properties and working with investors in the Metrowest area.
Michael’s interests include playing drums, golf, deep sea fishing and going to the gym.
Michael is the President of this organization and is responsible for overseeing all business operations. He creates systems that streamline the organization to be a well-oiled machine. With an eye for marketing, he has been a major voice in rebranding and giving Ben Speaks a new face while managing the creative process for our Empowerment Apparel and growing merchandise.
Bretton Torkelson, Psy.D.
Behavioral & Mental Health Chair
Boston, MA | brettontorkelson@benspeaks.org
​
Bretton Torkelson is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in Holliston, MA. His areas of expertise includes working with children, adolescents, young adults and families. Bretton earned his Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology and has extensive professional clinical experience working in psychiatric hospitals, outpatient clinics, and residential programs.
From 2015-2019, Bretton worked as a Senior Program Director at Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, overseeing the day-to-day operations of two therapeutic residential programs for adolescent females struggling with behavioral and emotional challenges. Prior to working as a program director, Bretton was a member of Wayside’s clinical team providing youth and families with therapeutic services in Wayside’s residential and intensive day treatment programs.
Bretton has spent his career working with children, adolescents, and their families. He is driven by the belief that all youth embrace their unique gifts when their peers and the adults in their lives empower their voices and understand the unique challenges that they experience as part of their development. Bretton has training in numerous modalities of psychotherapy, has attended several leadership/management training programs, and is proficient in conducting psychological testing.
Marin Dolan
Secretary
Milford, MA | marindolan@benspeaks.org
​
Marin has been actively involved with numerous non-profit organizations over 25 years; Milford's Youth Football Cheer program and the Performing Arts Center, Babson Skating club and the Lexington Ski club. She has enjoyed professional success in Quality and Document Control positions in the medical device and engineering fields for almost 40 years.
Marin is very organized, dedicated, has strong interpersonal skills and is a master at selling raffle tickets!!
She is currently the BenSpeaks Secretary, responsible for meeting notes and managing our board communications. She is also instrumental in organizing and supporting our various fundraising events, and is coordinating some new BenSpeaks SWAG!!
Bryan Colella
Legal Chair
Watertown, MA | bryancolella@benspeaks.org
​
Bryan is a business and civil litigation attorney with a boutique Boston firm. Bryan graduated from New England Law | Boston in 2017, where he had the distinction of being an associate on the New England Law Review, was a two-year member of the Regional Mock Trial Competition Team and held the office of Vice-President of the Business Law Society.
Bryan has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and worked in operations at EMC before attending law school. In his free time, he enjoys playing hockey and being outdoors. Bryan has served as a Director on the Ben Speaks board since February 2021.
Associations
• Admitted to Practice Law in Massachusetts
• Member of the Massachusetts Bar Association
• Member of the Boston Bar Association
• Director on the Franklin Pierce University Alumni Association Board of Directors - By-Laws and Elections Committee
Awards
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Clinical Evidence
o February 2017 - New England Law | Boston
• Peter B. Allan Award
o May 2014 - Franklin Pierce University - Awarded to the student who has maintained the highest GPA amongst graduating students receiving a BA in English Department Studies
Bo Kinney
Strategy and Business Development
Franklin, MA | bokinney@benspeaks.org
​
Bo is a recently retired engineer. He’s happily married and has raised his family of 3 children in Franklin MA, and is currently raising his feisty rescue pug. He has volunteered extensively for nonprofits for most of his life.
During his professional and volunteer career, he has held numerous leadership positions including Director of a large government organization, Team Leader, Division Head, CIO, Program Manager, President of his church, Board member, teacher, head of Human Resources, Finance, Fund Raising, Communications, Quality, Process Improvement, Business Development, Customer Relationship Management, and Strategic Planning.
Bo’s interests include golf, gardening, cooking, sports, movies, music, and party planning
Bo is currently serving as the Strategic and Business Process lead for Ben Speaks. He is also currently volunteering for the Franklin Food Pantry and leads the HR team for his church.
Brian GianDomenico
Treasurer
Worchester, MA | briangiandomenico@benspeaks.org
​
Brian GianDomenico, owner of Forefront Business Solutions, Inc serves as the Ben Speaks Treasurer. With over 25 years’ experience Brian brings his passion for accounting and business to the Board. Growing up in an abusive home Brian understands the effects of depression and the need for mental health issues. When Brian was asked to join Ben Speaks as Treasurer Brian immediately knew he needed to join the Ben Speaks Family and help in any way he can to assist in the mission of the Board.