MINNEAPOLIS–()–The Starkey Hearing Foundation expanded its efforts to record levels in
2012. Fitting more than 131,000 hearing aids to people in need, the
foundation surpassed its Clinton Global Initiative commitment of fitting
100,000 hearing aids annually. At this rate, it is 25 percent ahead of
schedule for fitting one million people this decade.
“The Starkey Hearing Foundation has done a tremendous job impacting
lives, and as an athlete and role model, I try to do the same”
Hearing missions are the primary way Starkey Hearing Foundation realizes
its goal: So the World May Hear. This past year, the foundation’s
team of audiologists and staff conducted international and domestic
hearing missions in 65 cities across 25 countries. The foundation
changed lives with the gift of hearing in nine new countries in 2012,
including Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, China, Senegal,
Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia — expanding its reach to more than 100
countries.
Most recently, the team fit more than 100 people, including nearly 50
children, with customized, free hearing devices at two missions in New
Orleans on February 1 and 2, leading up to the professional football
championship game. Starkey was joined by celebrity and professional
athlete volunteers, including country music superstar Garth Brooks,
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and NFL players Craig Stevens of the
Tennessee Titans, Greg Jennings from the Green Bay Packers, Kyle Rudolph
from the Minnesota Vikings and Brian de la Puente from the New Orleans
Saints.
“The Starkey Hearing Foundation has done a tremendous job impacting
lives, and as an athlete and role model, I try to do the same,” said
Jennings. “Starkey is one of the best charities I know that is trying to
impact lives on a daily basis, not just once or twice a year.”
Celebrity and professional athlete volunteers commonly assist at the
foundation’s missions where they witness the life-changing impact of
this cause and support recipients as they are fitted with their new
hearing aids, receive audio testing, counseling and instruction on how
to care for their new devices, all courtesy of Starkey Hearing
Foundation.
Says Sparks, who also attended a mission in Rwanda in 2011, “It was a
lot of hard work, but it was really rewarding. It’s amazing to see the
foundation’s reach is so much further than just here in the United
States.” Sparks hopes to attend another mission in the future and says,
“I’ll always be a fan of the Starkey Foundation.”
The Starkey Hearing Foundation looks forward to making an even bigger
impact in 2013. Missions are being planned for Mexico, Haiti, South
Africa, Tanzania, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, India, Ethiopia, Malaysia,
China, Uganda, Rwanda and the Philippines.
The foundation changes lives through more than just missions. This past
year it launched the Listen Carefully teaching guide to nearly
500,000 students to educate them about hearing protection and care. The
foundation also provided more than 8,500 digital hearing aids to
Americans in need through Hear Now, a domestic program to help
those in need, and recycled more than 45,000 used hearing aids.
The foundation’s largest fundraiser, The So the World May Hear
Awards Gala, also set a new record in 2012, raising more than $7.6
million to support its work around the world.
“The team is excited for the new opportunities and adventures 2013 will
bring,” said Bill Austin, founder of Starkey Hearing Foundation. “We are
passionate about making a difference in people’s lives here and around
the world by showing them that we care. Watching somebody light up as
they hear for the first time is an incredible experience, and sharing
that moment is something you never forget.”
According to Starkey Hearing Foundation, hearing loss is pervasive,
affecting 34 million Americans — about one in ten. Yet, with the help of
a hearing device, hearing loss can often be corrected, giving an
individual the opportunity to better connect with their family, the
community and the world around them.
More information about the foundation’s work can be found at Starkey
Hearing Foundation’s website,
as well as via Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Facebook
and Twitter
pages.
About Starkey Hearing Foundation
Starkey Hearing
Foundation uses hearing as a vehicle to reflect caring and improve the
lives of individuals, families and communities around the world, by
helping them reach their full potential. Hearing loss affects one in 10
Americans, and 63 million children worldwide, yet many do not have
access to the hearing devices that can help them. Starkey Hearing
Foundation fits and gives more than 100,000 hearing aids annually, and
as a member of President Clinton’s Global Initiative, it has pledged to
fit one million hearing aids this decade. In addition to giving the gift
of hearing through worldwide hearing missions, Starkey Hearing
Foundation promotes hearing health awareness and education through the
Listen Carefully initiative and provides hearing instruments to
low-income Americans through the Hear Now program. For more information
on Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.
Article source: http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20130219005826/en/hearing-aids/philanthropy/corporate-social-responsibility
Source:
http://www.hearing-aid-news.com/a-record-setting-year-for-the-starkey-hearing-foundation/