Butterfly Appeal help give children wings

By Eiman Mugharbel and Sami Hoffren, Bond University Journalism Students

The Hear and Say Centre aim to raise $120,000 for their butterfly appeal to help hearing impaired children on their waiting list.

Gold Coast fundraising co-ordinator Jen Worthington said because of the economic downturn the centre had to implement a waiting list.

“Which is sad because it’s an urgent thing,” she said.

“Once you’re diagnosed as being deaf, you need to get into a program like us straight away.”

The butterfly appeal is a month long event, running every April, where merchandise is sold through Suncorp branches, KFC stores and other retail outlets.

The Hear and Say Centre will also launch another event called the loud shirt day on May 15.

“We welcome all businesses and schools, universities, everyone to get involved by wearing their crazy loud shirt for that day and raising money for the Hear and Say,” she said.

“On May 15, we want everyone to go loudshirtday.com.au, register online and we will send you a registration pack, and then you can host the event at your workplace or school or even community centre, and host the event for us by all wearing crazy shirts and donating money.”      
                    
The Hear and Say Centre teaches deaf children to listen and speak with the aid of cochlear implants and Auditory-Verbal therapy.

“Soon as [all children are] born, they are given a hearing test and if they’re diagnosed as deaf they immediately and start coming to the centre,” she said.

For more information on giving a deaf child wings visit www.hearandsaycentre.com.au