EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Starkey Hearing Foundation will fit over 250 students, faculty and alumni with free state-of-the-art hearing devices on November 29th and 30th at the Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver. The WSD hearing mission, sponsored by Joyce White, came as a request on the heels of the ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition production at the Oregon School of the Deaf in Salem, which aired on October 31st.
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When producers from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition solicited the Starkey Hearing Foundation for support of a building production at OSD, they were quite surprised by the Foundation's response. "The original ask was to assist with the space design for 8 students and identify a local contractor," said Bill Austin of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. "I knew our team could help the entire school at a much greater level." In addition to providing OSD students, faculty and alumni with the free gift of hearing, the Foundation treated the entire student body to a one week adventure in the Twin Cities, home of the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Local media coverage surrounding the production spawned a request from the Washington School of the Deaf. "We learn early on in school that if you raise your hand someone will call on you," said Austin. "WSD raised its hand and we responded. We go where we are needed and helping both schools was clearly the right thing to do." The combined effort between both schools exceeded a value of 3 million dollars in charitable giving from the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
(Quote from Rick Hauan, Director, Washington State Center for Deafness and Hearing Loss)
The Starkey Hearing Foundation, "So the World May Hear," is the global leader in hearing health care and is striving to change the social consciousness of hearing. Each year, the Foundation delivers more than 50,000 hearing aids through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam. Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied nearly 500,000 hearing aids to people in need and is striving to achieve its goal of over one million more by 2020. In addition to giving the gift of hearing, the Foundation partners with Best Buy, the GRAMMY Foundation and a number of recording artists to promote "Safe Hearing" and prevention especially among teens, through its National program, SoundMatters.
For more information: Visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org
SOURCE The Starkey Hearing Foundation
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