Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013 - 26

Strength in Alliances
Money raised in the community stays in the community for programs for people with hearing loss.
By Ronnie Adler

T

he HLAA Walk4Hearing has grown tremendously in the number of events, sponsors, volunteers, teams, walkers and donations. In 2008, Alliance* groups started teaming up with HLAA to create greater awareness of hearing loss, help raise money and have the benefit of retaining a portion of the total amount raised by their team(s) for their own programs within their local community. Besides generating awareness, excitement, positive energy, empowerment and raising funds, the number of Alliance groups grew from 16 in 2008 to 135 in 2012.

Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU)

*An Alliance group is a close association of other groups, such as a school, hospital, hearing health care-related entity or house of worship, formed to advance common interests or causes.

Clarke School for Hearing and Speech 2012 New York City Walk4Hearing “We have been a proud Alliance group of the New York City Walk4Hearing for four years. Since our first Walk, Team Clarke has continued to grow larger and louder! This year 200 current and alumni families, staff members and friends helped raise more than

$28,000 for our school and HLAA.The Walk4Hearing is inspiring and exciting for everyone in our community. We love the way it brings so many of us together to show—and tell—the world that anything is possible for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing. “The funds raised at this year’s event will support Clarke School New York’s mission of providing children who are deaf or hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. We can’t think of a better gift for our children! Thank you HLAA!” —Meredith Berger, director of Clarke School New York

Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) 2012 Pennsylvania Walk4Hearing “This year the DCIU team was the largest registered team at the Pennsylvania Walk4Hearing. DCIU is a public education consortium comprised of 15 school districts that provide special education services to students with hearing loss from birth to 21 years of age. With the impact of financial hardships and drastic reductions in budgets, money raised from the Walk enables us to offer students and families the ability to participate in activities and provide support such as field trips, music programs, family support programs and funding for such equipment as FM systems. “For many DCIU staff and families, the Walk4Hearing is about bringing together a remarkable group of people of all ages. It is an opportunity for families to bond over a commitment to providing their children with the highest quality education possible.” —Stefani Doyle, supervisor of hearing and language programs Horace Mann PreK-8 School 2012 Dayton/Cincinnati Walk4Hearing “Horace Mann PreK-8 School of Dayton Public Schools participated in the 2012

Clarke School for Hearing and Speech
26 Hearing Loss Magazine

© Cindy Dyer
Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013
