Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation Receives Grant For Hearing Screenings for Children 3-7
Debra Golinski • May 26, 2022
Grant to provide Florida children ages 3-7 with no-cost hearing screenings and full evaluations of the level of hearing loss
(New Port Richey, FL) August, 2021 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation has received a grant in the amount of $2500 from the Margaret McCartney & R. Parks Williams Foundation. Sertoma's goal for this program is to provide Florida children ages 3-7 with no-cost hearing screenings and full evaluations of the level of hearing loss for those who fail the screenings. The Florida statute requiring hearing screening of every newborn is not enforced. Many babies born at smaller hospitals and birthing centers are particularly at risk. Infants and children are highly susceptible to infections and fevers that may cause hearing loss.
Diagnosis and amplification make it possible for children with hearing loss to develop personal, cognitive, and social skills at the same rate as their peers of the same age without hearing loss. We have identified children in schools who have been completely deaf in one ear. They do not realize this disability because they have no comparison to normal hearing.
With the help of Sertoma Clubs and other donors, we have a soundproof mobile clinic that is equipped for screening and evaluations. The grant will be used for supplies (e.g., disposable ear tips) and operational costs. Three additional vehicles carry audiology equipment to be set up inside previously arranged host sites.
The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing.
( New Port Richey, FL) July 2, 2024- Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation has received a grant from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund and their Cornerstone Partners. This grant will be used to expand hearing and speech programs to children and adults in Southwest Florida. “We are so thankful for this grant. Because of the grant, we will be able to reach more children and adults in Southwest Florida and provide them with hearing and speech screening as well as programs to assist them and make a big difference in their lives. We thank the Minnesota Twins Community Fund and their Cornerstone Partners for this generous donation, and we can’t wait to expand our programs in Southwest Florida,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. The Minnesota Twins Community Fund is a non-profit organization founded following the 1991 World Series to lead the ballclub’s charitable efforts. The Twins Community Fund and its programs are supported in part by their Cornerstone Partners: Target, U.S. Bank, Treasure Island, and Nike. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing.
(New Port Richey, FL) October 5, 2023 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation has received a donation from The Margaret McCartney & R. Parks William Foundation.. The Foundation’s donation will be used to assist the hearing screening, speech, and hearing aid fitting and dispensing for individuals throughout Florida. “We are so thankful for this donation. Being able to travel throughout Florida and screen adults and children for hearing loss as well as, provide and correctly fit hearing aids can make a big difference in so many lives. We thank the Foundation for this generous donation and will be visiting reaching out to so many more in Florida because of it,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. The Margaret McCartney & R. Parks Williams Foundation was established in 2001. It was the desire of Mr. & Mrs. Williams that the foundation be used exclusively for contributions to organizations, including governmental bodies, operated for religious, charitable, educational, veteran rehabilitative service, literary or scientific purposes or for the prevention of cruelty to children. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing. Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. is a 501(c )3 charitable organization that provides quality developmental and rehabilitative services, products and education to the hard of hearing throughout Florida.
MEDIA ADVISORY Background: The Children's Hearing Aid Program is provided by the Florida Department of Health and managed by Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida. This program is designed to provide assistance in obtaining hearing aids and other hearing technologies for children residing in Florida aged 0-18 who do not have private insurance or have insurance that does not cover hearing technologies. “We have worked extremely hard on this program and to see if come to fruition is so rewarding. Being able to provide children with hearing aids at an early age will make a huge difference in so many lives and allow children to succeed in life,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. What: Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation will be holding a ribbon cutting to celebrate the first child to receive a hearing aid under Florida’s new Children’s Hearing Aid Program. The 11-year old child and her Audiologist will be there along with executives from Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation, who administers the program. Florida’s Children’s Hearing Aid Program (CHAP) provides free hearing aids and other hearing technologies for children residing in Florida aged 0-18 who do not have private insurance or have insurance that does not cover hearing technologies. When: July 20, 2023 at 4:30pm Where: Advance Audiology & Hearing Aids, LLC Dr. Hyo Arnold, AuD, CCC-A 1860 SW Fountainview Blvd, Suite 100, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 www.hearbetterlife.com Who: The 11-year old patient and parents, Audiologist Dr. Hyo Arnold, and Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation will be available for interviews and photos. Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. is a 501(c )3 charitable organization that provides quality developmental and rehabilitative services, products and education to the hard of hearing throughout Florida.
( New Port Richey, FL) May 12, 2023 – The West Pasco Sertoma Club recently donated Portable InfoLoop Systems to both the New Port Richey Library and the New Port Richey Police Department to help better communicate with hearing and speech impaired residents. May is Better Hearing and Speech Month and the donation was part of Sertoma’s National Service Project. Portable InfoLoop Systems direct sound in a certain area for people who use hearing aids. The systems are a completely self-contained, one-on-one induction loop assistive listening system. It’s compatible with all telecoil equipped hearing aids, cochlear implants and induction loop receivers. With the Portable InfoLoop, listeners receive the signal at a distance of up to 3 feet from the unit. They are especially useful for the hard of hearing who can switch directly into the system by using the T-coil position on any equipped hearing aid. For individuals with Cochlear implants, the Portable InfoLoops work automatically. “We are extremely grateful to the West Pasco Sertoma Club for this gift. It will make it much easier to communicate with the hard-of-hearing and speech impaired citizens. Thank you for thinking of us for this donation,” said the New Port Richey Police Department. “The New Port Richey Library very appreciative of this gift as well as for the time and care you took to give the library staff training and ensured all their questions were answered. It is no doubt that this device will help expand uninterrupted access to library resources and information, and our staff looks forward to using it with anyone who might find it helpful to communicate with us,” said the New Port Richey Library The West Pasco Sertoma club was chartered June 30, 1970 and is just one of over 300 Sertoma clubs across the country. Sertoma is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in need. Their core focus is assisting individuals with hearing healthcare needs. Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. is a 501(c )3 charitable organization that provides quality developmental and rehabilitative services, products and education to the hard of hearing throughout Florida.
Children's Hearing Aid Program
(New Port Richey, FL) January 26, 2023 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida has scheduled a battery giveaway for Wednesday, February 8th from 8am to 12 noon at its office in New Port Richey located at 5211 US Highway 19, Suite 200. The Foundation will offer free hearing aid batteries in the most common sizes while they last: 10, 13, and 312 and 675. “The batteries can be picked up at our office 8am – 12 noon while supplies last,” noted President & CEO, Debra Golinski. “We are very pleased to be able to offer free batteries on February 8th,” she added. Ms. Golinski also reminds hearing aid users that the Foundation heads up the Sertoma Hearing Aid Recycling Program as well. Please bring along any used or old hearing aids when you come. They may also be dropped off anytime at the Foundation’s office in New Port Richey. Through this program, Sertoma clubs collect hearing aids in any condition to provide recycled and refurbished hearing aids available to clients who need them. Hearing Loss is the most common birth defect nationally. Early detection and intervention is vital for an infant to have the opportunity to access speech and other sounds for learning and brain development. Sertoma Speech and Hearing Foundation assists hard of hearing babies, children, and adults to avoid a life of isolation and hear the world around them so they can succeed personally, academically, and socially. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing.
(New Port Richey, FL) January 6, 2023 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation is excited to announce the addition of a fifth Van to it’s fleet of Vans that are used to serve the needs of those with hearing loss throughout the state of Florida. This Van was made possible through a generous donation from the Sertoma Club of Bradenton and will be used to serve the children and adults in Manatee County. Sertoma’s Vans allow screening and testing for hearing loss to be mobile and serve more of those in need throughout the state. All Vans are equipped with the necessary equipment to provide audiology services and screening. This fifth Van brings Sertoma one step closer to their goal of having the "Magnificent Seven" of Vans constantly traveling throughout Florida and serving more counties. Sertoma helps children, senior citizens, and low-income families get the hearing help they need. They would like to screen all children at Daycares in Florida. Sertoma also now accepts most insurance for hearing aids. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing.
( New Port Richey, FL) December 16, 2022 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation has received financial support from Suncoast Credit Union for support of children’s early intervention hearing and literacy services in Florida. “We are very grateful for Suncoast Credit Union’s support. Being able to screen children at an early age for hearing loss can make a big difference in so many lives. We thank Suncoast Credit Union for this support, and we will be visiting many daycares and providing hundreds of free books because of it,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 10th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $15.8 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 75 full-service branches and serves more than one million members in 40 counties across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $36 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoastcreditunion.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing.
(New Port Richey, FL) September 12, 2022 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation has received a grant from the Kathryn H. Beach Charitable Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation for support of children’s early intervention hearing services in Sarasota. “We are very appreciative of this grant. Being able to screen children at an early age for hearing loss can make a big difference in so many lives. We thank the Foundation for this generous grant, and we will be visiting many daycares because of it,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. The notion of a community caring for its own is written in Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s DNA. The foundation was created in 1995 with proceeds from the sale of The Venice Hospital, a community hospital that had been founded by local citizens more than four decades earlier. Today, Gulf Coast Community Foundation is the philanthropic home of more than 1,000 families who have created their own charitable funds here, and together with them have invested $490 million in grants in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at GulfCoastCF.org. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing. ### Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. is a 501(c )3 charitable organization that provides quality developmental and rehabilitative services, products and education to the hard of hearing throughout Florida. ### Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. 5211 US Hwy 19, Ste 200 New Port Richey, FL 34652 (727) 312-3881 www.familyhearinghelp.org
(New Port Richey, FL) September 7, 2022 - Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation and Sertoma, Inc. presented Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson with a plaque of appreciation for his dedication to the deaf and hard of hearing community and mankind. “Senator Simpson has been a huge supporter of the deaf and hard of hearing community and has helped us get the legislative support we need to continue testing and provide services for children and adults. We thank Senator Simpson for all he has done and continues to do for all of the citizens of the State of Florida,” said Debra Golinski, President & CEO of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. “Senator Simpson’s character represents Sertoma’s mission of service to mankind.” Service to Mankind. It's more than just how Sertoma, Inc. got their name; it's been their foundation for over 100 years. Sertomans across the country are unified with a single purpose: serve their communities and improve the lives of those who need help. Their mission and Sertoma’s passion is to improve the quality of life for those at risk or impacted by hearing loss through education and support. The mission of the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida is to enhance individual potential and quality of life through better hearing. Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. is a 501(c )3 charitable organization that provides quality developmental and rehabilitative services, products and education to the hard of hearing throughout Florida. Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, Inc. 5211 US Hwy 19, Ste 200, New Port Richey, FL 34652 (727) 312-3881 www.familyhearinghelp.org