Students from the Upland Hills School heard of a need.
And now 100 children from across metro Detroit will get an opportunity to hear for themselves.
The school took part in the Detroit Hearing Instrument Mission’of Hope & Friendship, resulting in 100 youth receiving state-of-the-art’hearing instruments valued at over $750,000,’donated by the Starkey Hearing Foundation.?
Students traveled to Detroit earlier this month to participate in the event at University Prep High School.
‘This’was a good day for Detroit.’A day about how people can come straight from their hearts and directly into the hearts of others,? said Phillip Moore, director of Upland Hills School.
The opportunity to bring a hearing mission to Detroit arose because of a friendship between Moore and Glenn Frey, founding member of the rock band Eagles.’Frey was invited to perform at the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s gala last summer and, in return, Upland Hills School received financial support for tuition assistance and the opportunity to bring a mission to Detroit.
‘We had a wonderful day in Detroit,? said Tani Austin, co-founder of Starkey Hearing. ‘The children, parents and teachers were so respectful of the gift we all presented to them. That in itself says a lot for the people that did the front end work.?
Local hearing professionals, schools and hospitals partnered with the Starkey Hearing Foundation,’Upland Hills School and University Prep High School, to’bring local children with hearing loss to the mission. Volunteers from the two schools assisted audiologists and brought cheer to the children and families as they waited.
Upland Hills School Music Director Ted Strunck,’along with’eight of his students, learned sign language to one of the songs, and performed for the children and their families as they waited to be seen by Bill Austin of Starkey Hearing.?
‘It was a great experience for my kids to learn the signing for our song ‘We Belong to One Another,?? said Strunck. ‘A grandmother came up to us after the performance and said how her grandson had just received a hearing aid and how his face lit up when he heard us singing and he said, ‘Music!? That alone made it worthwhile for all of us.?
Performing Motown artist Spyder Turner and Detroit Piston Legend Archie Clark were on hand for the event as well.
‘This mission was about friendship,? Moore said.?’It was about a city in need of some good news.’It was about giving and receiving, and developing relationships that form possibilities beyond our full comprehension.?
To learn more about the Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.sotheworldmayhear.org. In the past 12 months, the foundation has provided more than 50,000 hearing instruments both domestically and abroad.
Upland Hills School is located at 2575 Indian Lake Road in Oxford. Visit them at www.uplandhills.org or call (248)693-2878.