Category: Hearing Missions Foundation
Changing the world through hearing
Aug
03
2016
(Translated from Spanish)
Yesterday I was reading a book written by two Danish men about education. The final paragraph of this book says:
“To change and transform the world we must act. All people act where they live and with the resources they have and we all want to change this society and we are fighting for the same.” (Hansen, S. & Jensen J. (1969) El libro rojo del cole. Nuestra cultura: Madrid)
This reminded me of the volunteers who came to Guatemala from the Hearing Missions Foundation (HMF), people whom I have the honor to call my friends. I met them one Sunday in the morning, specifically November 8th, 2015. It was the first day of their mission trip in Guatemala. Read more of this article »
Posted in Hearing Missions Foundation, Hearing Missions Foundation Fundraising Tagged with: Audiologist, Doctor of Audiology, Guatemala, Hearing Aid, hearing loss, Hearing loss personal story, Hearing Missions Foundation, helping the world hear
Missions to Dominica
Oct
28
2015
Over the past 4 years, members of the Centers for Hearing Care and Rotarians from District 6650 have established a hearing mission to the Common Wealth of Dominica. This trip began in 2011 when Dr. Sheryl Figliano of the Centers for Hearing Care came in contact with Dr. Susan Kelly, professor at Ross Medical University in Dominica. They connected through a common passion of helping people. They reached out to Marvlyn Birmingham, President of the Rotary Club of Dominica at that time, to join in their efforts. We continue to work with Rotary for trips to Dominica as well as Hearing Missions Foundation which is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit affiliate of Centers for Hearing Care.
ABOUT DOMINICA
Prior to our arrival there was limited access to hearing services on the island. Our first visit to the island, we tested over 500 children and adults and fit well over 200 individuals within one week! As the team continues this annual mission, more islanders have become aware of the program and are informed ahead of time when we are coming so they know which clinic we will serve on which days. Each day we move to a different part of the island.
WHAT WE DO
Clinic is started around 8am and continues until each person is seen. Sometimes our day doesn’t end until 9 :00 in the evening. By the time we arrive, a line has already formed of individuals awaiting services. Some must begin their morning at 5am and travel hours to make it to our location. Our team is then divided into groups and a triage team starts sending individuals to the appropriate station. The services we provide are hearing tests, ear cleaning, fitting of amplification and repairing hearing aids for those we have fit during missions in previous years.
Children are immediately pulled to the front of the line and are always seen first. It is very important to us to fit each child with hearing impairment with 2 hearing aids. The younger an individual is fit with the hearing aid the better their brain will adapt to the incoming sound and make sense of it. The longer a child goes with undetected hearing loss, the farther behind they fall in school and the less likely they are to catch up to their peers. In order for children to learn, they need to hear lectures, participate in conversations to learn social skills, and connect with their family members.
SUCCESS = SUSTAINABILITY
What makes our program successful is establishing sustainability. Since the beginning we have been training individuals on the island, chosen by their government, to work with our patients after we have departed for the U.S. Shirlina, our main technician, is able to service their hearing aids, hand out batteries, and contact us when more supplies are needed. When an individual is fit, they are given Shirlina’s contact information for help. Without sustainability, our program would be short-lived. If a hearing aid were to break, that patient would have to wait until our team returned the following year and would be without proper amplification. Having a contact on the island allows us to send them batteries when needed. For the island, a hearing aid battery can cost up to $10. With minimum wage so low, it is hard on families to purchase batteries which can leave a child without amplification during the school year.
At the end of the trip the audiology team attends Ross Medical University, a medical school on the island. There, the medical students are taught about the auditory system by both a lecture and hands-on clinic.
OUR MISSION IN ACTION
Our mission to give the gift of hearing to the islanders of Dominica is continually growing. Now, thanks to generous donations, the island has multiple audiometers and a screening program is being implemented in some of the schools. Considering no hearing serviced were provided prior to our arrival, this is a large step. We continue to go establish sustainability and to help the hearing program grow.
Participating in a mission trip is a humbling experience. Giving the gift of hearing to someone who could not otherwise have access is rewarding. We have seen mothers watch their children as they hear them for the first time, taught others to say their first word as they now hear their own voice. We have given children the opportunity to succeed in school and adults the ability to participate in conversation again.
The Hearing Missions Foundation is planning another trip to Dominica in March 2016! For more information about making a positive difference in the lives of so many please visit…
www.hearingmissions.org
WHAT CAN YOU DO??
Spread the word, donate hearing aids, give monetary gifts, host fundraisers, and join us on a mission!
Written by: Dr. Elizabeth Shobel
(Hearing Missions Foundation Volunteer and Board Member)
Posted in Educational, Hearing Missions Foundation Tagged with: 501c3, Audiologist, audiologists, audiology, Austintown, Behind the ear hearing aids, Boardman, Boardman Rotary, BTE hearing aids, Centers for Hearing Care, Cleveland, Columbiana, Columbiana County, digital aids with Bluetooth technology, Doctor of Audiology, Dominica, dr. elizabeth shobel, Dr. Sheryl Figliano, Figliano, hard of hearing, hear aids, Hearing Aid, Hearing Aid Center, Hearing Aids, hearing center, hearing devices, hearing doctor, hearing impaired, hearing loss, Hearing loss personal story, Hearing Missions Foundation, hearing tests, hearingaids, helping the world hear, Howland, iphone, Liberty, Mahoning County, Marvlyn Birminghan, music streaming, non-profit, Northeast Ohio, Ohio, Pepper Pike, progressive sensorineural hearing loss, ringing in ears, ringing in the ears, Ross University, Rotarian, Rotary International, Rotary of Plain Township, Salem, severe sensorineural loss, tinnitus, tinnitus treatment, Trumbull County, West Indies, Youngstown, Youngstown Rotary
Running for Individuals with Hearing Loss in Financial Crisis
Jul
21
2015
“I believe in challenging myself to do things that may be out of my comfort zone or push my limits. The last time I ran a half marathon, I told myself I would never do that again! Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who you ask), I am easily convinced, and my sister, who works for ESPN, suggested we push ourselves to run another. I let her decide the marathon since her goal is to run a marathon in every state (something I will not join her in), and she picked a meeting point of Lake George, NY.
At first, my goal was similar to my last half marathon: FINISH! It wasn’t until I reflected on my time at Centers for Hearing Care that I realized I needed to run for another purpose. I am blessed to have the ability to enjoy the everyday senses in life like running and hearing the cheers and encouragement from the crowd, yet so many people are not as fortunate.
I am running to share my experience with locally, nationally, and internationally hearing impaired persons who don’t have the opportunity to hear the encouragement from their loved ones or strangers due to financial limitations. Thanks to the Hearing Missions Foundation, I will be able to run for a cause I live everyday for: the ability for every person in the world to be able to hear the cheers of their loved ones! Help me help the world to hear!!! “
-Dr. Jessica Hoefler
For information on how to donate to Dr. Jessica’s Run
Call 330-779-8090 or Email us at [email protected]
All proceeds go to the Hearing Missions Foundation
7th Annual Camp Chingachgook Challenge
Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Saturday, August 15, 2015 Lake George, NY
Hearing Missions Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization reaches out to men, women and children with hearing loss that live in extreme poverty conditions. Our mission is to identify these hearing impaired persons in deep financial crisis worldwide and to help them one person at a time, with love, compassion and commitment.
For more information, visit us online at www.hearingmissionsfoundation.org
Posted in Events, Hearing Missions Foundation, Hearing Missions Foundation Fundraising Tagged with: 7th Annual Camp Chingachgook Challenge, Audiologist, Austintown, Boardman, Centers for Hearing Care, Cleveland, Columbiana, Columbiana County, Doctor of Audiology, ESPN, Half Marathon, Hearing Aid, Hearing Aid Center, Hearing Aids, hearing loss, Hearing Missions Foundation, Howland, Lake George, Liberty, Mahoning County, Northeast Ohio, NY, Pepper Pike, Salem, Trumbull County, Youngstown