2nd Annual Lend Me Your Ears Walk and Family Fair

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and local nonprofit HearCare Connection will present it’s annual walk for hearing on June 1, 2013 as part of it’s annual fundraiser and hearing loss awareness campaign.

Did You Know…

That as many as 329 kids in Allen County may have some degree of hearing loss?

That 1 in 5 teens have hearing loss?

That 1 in 3 people over age 70 have hearing loss? 1 in 2 over age 80 do?

And HearCare Connection is the ONLY nonprofit hearing center in Northeast Indiana?

On June 1, 2013, the 2nd Annual Lend Me Your Ears will conclude with its walk for hearing and family fun fair at Freimann Square at 10am. Registration begins at 9am, and we encourage people to come out and support the cause for hearing. It is a family fair affair—we will have music, games, face-painting, a bounce house, cupcake and tshirt creation stations, food, and more available before and after the walk. Walkers can sign up to walk for $10 each, with children walking free with a paid adult. Seniors and Veterans will receive a $2 discount as well. Teams of up to ten walk for $50! The walk is an easy 2 mile walk around the City’s Circle of Hope. Early registration is now open on the website at www.hearcareconnection.org. This year’s walk will help “kick-off” a city wide campaign to Loop Fort Wayne, with a proclamation read by Mayor Tom Henry and a signature Star-Spangled Banner by Mr. Tom Didier. The Loop Fort Wayne Initiative will help encourage theaters and other venues to get Looped, following in the footsteps of Loop America across the nation, with a welcome for area press and others who may want to learn more about this looping initiative in our community.

The Annual Lend Me Your Ears campaign included the Hearing Challenge presented to two schools this year: Memorial Park and St. John’s Catholic School. Students participated by wearing earplugs for an hour or the whole school day to experience “mild” hearing loss, and then were challenged to write an essay or draw a picture about the experience. The winner of the challenge won an iPad, donated this year by an anonymous donor. Students from the schools raised nearly $200 for the organization.

A portion of the profits from these events will help provide hearing aids and hearing services to low-income children and adults living in the area.