Charitable efforts are often highlighted during the holiday season, but at Audio Help Hearing Centers, we make giving back a year-long mission.
Here’s a look at several of the programs our audiologists and staff have led to help local and global communities over the years.
Amal Art Show
In 2019, Dr. Eduardo Bravo and Audio Help sponsored the Hearing the Call Art Initiative to help Syrian refugee children with hearing loss express themselves through art.
The traveling art show Amal: When Hope Endures was hosted at TUF Gallery in New York City. We shared stories of survival and hope and discussed how art helps people overcome traumatic experiences from growing up in war-torn countries.
Some of the Amal show pieces are still available for purchase at Audio Help Hearing Centers offices for those interested.
Trips to Guatemala
Previously, Dr. Bravo spent a week in Guatemala on a Hearing the Call humanitarian trip, bringing the gift of hearing to more than 300 people, many of whom were children.
“The hearing smile is something very special,” Dr. Bravo said. “To see a child’s face light up when they can hear for the very first time – you can’t put into words what it means to the parents and us.”
Children in developing countries like Guatemala often have difficulty learning and communicating. Without adequate audiological services, they have a lower chance of overcoming their hearing loss and reaching their full potential.
Hearing the Call aims to provide those in need with hearing aids and empower the local community to be better equipped to treat hearing loss.
“It’s critical to involve members of the community, so we can ensure our mission outlives us,” Dr. Bravo said.
Hearing the Call to Serve
Dr. Jessica Woodson has participated in several hearing mission trips over the last several years. She traveled to Nicaragua in 2016 and went to Guatemala two years later.
In Guatemala, Dr. Woodson was one of 25 volunteers who traveled to help people with hearing loss.
“I am fortunate enough to give the gift of hearing locally every day,” she wrote after her trip. “To do that on a global scale provides a much different sense of fulfillment. It’s true that when you give, you get.”
The team provided hundreds of people with donated hearing aids thanks to the support of Oticon’s Hearing Foundation. For many of the recipients, the free devices were the first hearing aids they’d ever received.
In Nicaragua, Dr. Woodson spent time with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, helping more than 1,000 children and adults improve their hearing. During her time there, she connected with many individuals who were ecstatic about getting the gift of hearing.
“I feel incredibly humbled and beyond fortunate to be able to make a difference in the lives of others doing what I love to do,” she wrote.
The team at Audio Help is committed to serving our patients locally and around the globe. Contact us online to learn how you can support our charitable efforts by donating your old hearing aids.
