Susan Lucci & Other Celebs To Assist At Starkey Hearing Foundation Event

PRIMETIME AND DAYTIME STARS JOIN THE STARKEY HEARING FOUNDATION

in las vegas TO deliver THE GIFT OF HEARING

Marlee Matlin, Susan Lucci, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Kyle and Chris Massey, Ace Young and Daniel Romer Assist in the Distribution of Hearing Aids to More Than 100 Hearing-Impaired Children and Adults

MINNEAPOLIS (June 13, 2011) – With the help of a star-studded line-up of celebrities from daytime, primetime and reality television, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, dedicated to building better lives for the hearing impaired by providing hearing instruments to those in need, announced today that it will deliver the gift of hearing to more than 100 under-served, hearing-impaired children and adults from the Las Vegas area.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation Las Vegas Hearing Mission will take place on Saturday, June 18, 2011, at the Las Vegas Hilton, Ballroom C from 10:00am to 3:00pm. The Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Las Vegas Hearing Mission sponsors are the Las Vegas Hilton, Associated Television International, and the Daytime Emmys (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences).

 Led by Bill Austin, Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a team of audiologists and volunteers will work together on the precise fitting of custom-made, state-of-the-art hearing aids for each of the 100 recipients ages two to 53. (Pictured left, Bill Austin with hearing aid recipient at previous Starkey Hearing Mission.)

Working alongside the Starkey Hearing Foundation team to assist in the fittings will be Starkey Hearing Ambassadors Marlee Matlin and Daniel Romer, and celebrity volunteers Susan Lucci, Donnie Osmond, Marie Osmond, Kyle Massey, Chris Massey, and Ace Young.  Each will be paired up with at least one recipient during the mission to witness the moment a patient hears for the first time while providing support and encouragement throughout the process as the recipient is fitted with their new hearing aid, receives audio testing, and is provided with counseling and instruction on how to care for their new device.

“The Starkey Hearing Foundation’s mission is to bring the gift of hearing to those in need that they may be able to realize their full potential,” said Bill Austin, Chief Executive Officer of Starkey Laboratories and Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. “We thank the stars of daytime and primetime, as well as our Las Vegas mission sponsors and partners in helping us make a difference in a child’s quality of life and future just by opening them up to a new world of sound.”

The Starkey Hearing Foundation Las Vegas Mission has received the support of the Daytime Emmy’s and National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well Associated Television International. The mission also coincides with CBS’ Daytime Emmy Awards broadcast which airs live on June 17, 2011. During the broadcast as part of the show’s Daytime Cares portion, the Starkey Hearing Foundation will be recognized along with its Founder, Bill Austin and Treasurer, Tani Austin, for their work in the area of closed captioning.

The Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Las Vegas Mission is one of dozens of missions conducted each year by the Foundation both domestically and internationally.  Hearing missions are the primary way the Starkey Hearing Foundation realizes its goal so the world may hear. In turn, the Foundation has set a target of reaching 1,000,000 individuals in need by the end of this decade. 

According to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, hearing loss is pervasive affecting 34 million Americans – or one in 10.  Yet, with the help of a hearing device, hearing loss can often be corrected in a majority cases, giving an individual the opportunity to better connect with their family, the community, and the world around them.

About The Starkey Hearing Foundation

The Starkey Hearing Foundation is striving to change the social consciousness of hearing and hearing loss prevention.  Hearing loss affects one in 10 Americans, and 70 million children worldwide, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that can help correct that disability.  The Foundation now delivers approximately 100,000 hearing aids annually through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam.  Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need and is striving to achieve its goal of distributing over one million free hearing aids in this decade.  In addition to giving the gift of hearing, the Foundation also works diligently to promote ‘safe hearing’ through two unique programs - the recently launched Listen Carefully campaign, aimed at preventing hearing loss among teens and young people; and the Sound Matters™ program, which with the help of partners such as Best Buy, the Grammy Foundation and others within the music and entertainment industry, seeks to raise social awareness of healthy hearing, prevention of hearing damage, and regular hearing check-ups.  For more information on the Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.