The month of May has been highlighted by a unique theme: community service.  In honor of May is Better Hearing month, the MDHC has been immersed in the community, offering services to those with hearing loss. With the support of many volunteers and collaborative partnerships with other organizations, it has been our pleasure to serve. At each community event, we have been impacted by those we met: a motivated teenager wanting to improve her classroom technology; a conversation with a Spanish-speaking mom who is learning ASL to communicate with her two little girls who are deaf; adults coming to grips with losing their hearing later in life...

 

However hearing loss has touched your life, it is our consistent goal to be supportive  of you and your loved ones.

 

Get your wine glasses and serving forks ready for the Wine and Chocolate Gala just two weeks away. We hope you have your calendar marked for the evening of Thursday, June 4, 6-9pm. It is not too late to RSVP and to invite your family and friends to attend to attend as well.  See more details below!

 

Sincerely,

MDHC Staff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff, audiologists, and volunteers at the Teen Day Conference 

You are invited to attend the 2nd Annual MDHC Foundation fundraising event: our Wine and Chocolate Gala! The evening promises to be entertaining, highlighted by wine tastings, two chocolate fountains, hor'dourves, and an excellent silent auction. All proceeds from ticket sales and the silent auction will benefit the Marion Downs Hearing Center. Follow the link for more information... 

 

 

If you are interested in donating an auction item, we are accepting items until Tuesday, June 2. Desired items are restaurant gift certificates; art pieces; travel vouchers; wine baskets; sport tickets; etc. For more information, contact mdhc@uch.edu.

 

If you are unable to attend...but would still like to show your support, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Marion Downs Hearing Center. Visit our donation page and click on "more information" or call Linda at 720-848-3043.

Almost 100 DHH Teens Participated 

 

On Tuesday, May 5, we hosted the 3rd Annual DHH Teen Day Conference, the only conference state-wide that brings DHH teenagers together to learn about resources, technology options, and provide social networking opportunities.

 

We've received a lot of positive feedback from the teachers and students who participated: the overwhelming majority reported this year's conference was the best yet! A survey revealed that a majority learned about new resources and felt more inspired about future possibilities after hearing the presentations. Mission accomplished! Thank you to CSDB, Phonak, Dove, Sprint, and our many, MANY volunteers for their generous support of the event. It always takes a village!

Fiesta for Families
In collaboration with Hands & Voices and CSDB, the annual Fiesta for Families event took place on Saturday, May 16. This is a unique and special opportunity for Spanish-speaking families with deaf or hard of hearing members to congregate for a day of social networking and support.

While the hot dogs and burgers were grilling, children were running around the park playing with bubbles, games of Twister, sidewalk chalk, and much more. The afternoon was wrapped up after a competitive game of breaking the pinatas and gathering as much candy as their little hands could possibly hold! Gracias to the collaborating organizations and our many volunteers who helped make the event a success!

 

 

With more Americans losing their hearing annually from noise-induced exposure, age, head trauma, illness, or birth complications, it is important than ever to talk to the general public about hearing awareness and prevention. It is typical for individuals with a mild to moderate hearing loss to be unaware of their problem, even if family and friends are quite aware of it.

 
Sandy Gabbard and Marion Downs at Barnes & Noble

Throughout May, we've offered several free hearing screenings to the public in various parts of the Denver metro area. On May 5, we were offering our services at the Barnes & Noble in Aurora. On May 19th, we provided this service in our Audiology clinic at University of Colorado Hospital. On May 20th and 28th, you could find us in Boulder screening residents along the Front Range. We've been all over! Many thanks to our team of audiologists who have generously volunteered their time to offer this important community service!

Class Descriptions: 
 
NOVICE
Emphasis will be on establishing a foundation of the alphabet, numbers, basic phrases, and vocabulary. We encourage the entire family participation. This class is open to the public.
**Tuition: $150, includes ASL book and handouts
Bring a friend/relative and receive $25 off each paid registration!
 
 
INTERMEDIATE

Emphasis will be on cumulative vocabulary development. Participants should be comfortable with the alphabet, numbers, and basic phrases. Exposure to short stories and narratives will help students develop their visual skills. We encourage family participation. This class is open to the public.
**Tuition: $150, includes ASL book and handouts
Bring a friend/relative and receive $25 off each paid registration!
 
 
ADVANCED
Emphasis will be on developing receptive and translating skills to become literate and effective users of sign language. Skills will be practiced in meaningful contexts through interactional techniques, demonstrations, dialogues, and other activities. To ensure appropriate student participation, students will be screened during the 1st class.
**Tuition: $150, recommended texts will be discussed at the first class  
 

ALL CLASSES MEET WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS; EXCEPTIONS ARE NOTED