Primetime and Daytime Stars Help Starkey Hearing Foundation Deliver the Gift of Hearing to Las Vegas Children and Adults

MINNEAPOLIS, June 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A star-studded line-up of celebrities from daytime, primetime and reality television joined the Starkey Hearing Foundation today to deliver the gift of hearing to 110 hearing-impaired children and adults from the Las Vegas area. The Starkey Hearing Foundation is dedicated to building better lives for the hearing impaired by providing hearing instruments to those in need.

For downloadable b-roll of the event below, go to https://www.yousendit.com/download/UnlDcXlzNDJYSHp2Wmc9PQ. Link expires in 7 days.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110618/NY22392-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110618/NY22392-b )

The Starkey Hearing Foundation Las Vegas Hearing Mission was held at the Las Vegas Hilton, and was sponsored by the hotel, along with Associated Television International, and the Daytime Emmy's.

Working alongside a team of Starkey Hearing Foundation audiologists and staff to assist in the hearing aid fittings of the recipients who ranged in age from two to 53, were Starkey Hearing Ambassadors Marlee Matlin and Daniel Romer, comedienne, actress and The View co-host, Sherri Shephard¸ comedian and host, Wayne Brady, television actors and singers Kyle and Chris Massey, American Idol season five alum Ace Young, daytime stars Susan Lucci, Tristan Rogers, Christian LeBlanc, Daniel Goddard, and Adam Gregory, celebrity hair stylist Ken Paves, and poker pro and legend, Michelle Lau.  

Each celebrity volunteer was paired with at least one recipient during the Las Vegas Hearing Mission sharing the emotion with parents as their children were able to hear their voices for the first time thanks to their new, custom-made, digital hearing aid courtesy of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. In one particular case, a family of four already affected by the closing of a local school for the deaf, was given the gift of hearing as mom, dad and children each received their own hearing device. All recipients' hearing aids were programmed for optimal hearing, and were also provided with a generous supply of batteries, counseling on how to care for their new device, and a Build-A-Bear provided by the Delta Zetas from the University of Las Vegas.  

"The Starkey Hearing Foundation's mission is to bring the gift of hearing to those in need that they may be able to realize their full potential," said Bill Austin, Chief Executive Officer of Starkey Laboratories and Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. "We thank the stars of daytime and primetime, as well as our Las Vegas mission sponsors and partners in helping us make a difference in a child's quality of life and future just by opening them up to a new world of sound."

The Starkey Hearing Foundation Las Vegas Mission has received the support of the Daytime Emmy's, as well as Associated Television International. The mission coincided with CBS' Daytime Emmy Awards broadcast which aired live on June 17, 2011. During the broadcast as part of the show's Daytime Cares portion, the Bill and Tani Austin of the Starkey Hearing Foundation were recognized for their efforts in the area of closed captioning.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation Las Vegas Mission is one of dozens of missions conducted each year by the Foundation both domestically and internationally.  Hearing missions are the primary way the Starkey Hearing Foundation realizes its goal so the world may hear. In turn, the Foundation has set a target of reaching 1,000,000 individuals in need by the end of this decade.  

According to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, hearing loss is pervasive affecting 34 million Americans – or one in 10.  Yet, with the help of a hearing device, hearing loss can often be corrected in a majority cases, giving an individual the opportunity to better connect with their family, the community, and the world around them.

About The Starkey Hearing Foundation

The Starkey Hearing Foundation is striving to change the social consciousness of hearing and hearing loss prevention.  Hearing loss affects one in 10 Americans, and 70 million children worldwide, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that can help correct that disability.  The Foundation now delivers approximately 100,000 hearing aids annually through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam.  Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need and is striving to achieve its goal of distributing over one million free hearing aids in this decade.  In addition to giving the gift of hearing, the Foundation also works diligently to promote 'safe hearing' through two unique programs - the recently launched Listen Carefully campaign, aimed at preventing hearing loss among teens and young people; and the Sound Matters™ program, which with the help of partners such as Best Buy, the Grammy Foundation and others within the music and entertainment industry, seeks to raise social awareness of healthy hearing, prevention of hearing damage, and regular hearing check-ups.  For more information on the Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.

SOURCE Starkey Hearing Foundation