Caring starts at home! Ashley and I are honored to support the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center in their efforts to assist our family, friends, and neighbors with their daily communication needs. We never know when a stroke or some other type of
injury may occur, limiting our ability to hear, eat and/or speak for ourselves. What would you do if you or one of your loved ones was suddenly unable to swallow, speak or hear? Where would you turn? We can assure you that the professionals at the Center have the answer to that question. We know this because we have seen it firsthand.
The Center provided care and support for our family and my grandfather, the late George Jenkins; founder of Publix Super Markets after a stroke left him unable to communicate. My grandfather could have gone anywhere for treatment during that difficult time in his life, but he chose the Center because of their commitment to compassionate high quality care that is known throughout Central Florida.
This past year the Center has served more than 25,000 patients. Of that, over 11,000 were children and 98% of those children required subsidized funding made possible by donations from citizens such as yourselves. Nationwide, 40 million people have a hearing loss. Of the 78 million baby boomers, 23 million have a hearing loss. In Florida, over 700,000 citizens have a documented hearing loss, and over 96,000 of those citizens reside right here in Central Florida.
The inability to speak and use language affects people from all walks of life from newborns to those over 100 years of age. Did you know that diabetes and dementia are associated with hearing loss? Even high blood pressure can be a factor. Intervention is a life saver. Recently, the Center fit a 4-month old baby with hearing aids and that child will grow up in a hearing-enabled world able to thrive and succeed in spite of her hearing loss. Speaking and hearing connects people to the world around them and the Center provides the services that care for and maintain speech and hearing health. As Helen Keller said, “blindness separates people from things, deafness separates people from people.”
As we mentioned, the Center helps more people lead happy and healthy lives and we need your help. Ashley and I have made a commitment to help raise $75,000 this year. This goal can be reached simply by each of us donating one hour’s pay per month. One of the greatest investments you can make is to commit your strengths and resources for the good of others; that type of
commitment helps complete you and another person.. It’s easy to give! Here are two ways:
Click here to give directly from your computer.
Text keyword CONNECT to 50155 to donate from your mobile phone.
*The Center will always protect the confidentiality of your gift.
Ashley and I encourage you to support this organization. As a teacher, Ashley came across students who utilized services from the Center which gave them the freedom to learn with the rest of the students. These services are invaluable to the citizens of Central Florida and we should all support such initiatives. Will you join us by making a donation of one hour’s pay per month?
Respectfully,
Wesley and Ashley Barnett
