Every Child Needs Wings to Excel

BY HARVINDER KAUR SOORA - Bond Journalism Student

Hear and Say Centre initiated a fund raising Butterfly Appeal program from 31 March to 31 April 2008 for children who are hearing impaired by selling badges, pins and little pens.

Hear and Say provides an equal opportunity for these children to enable them to enter the hearing world through Audio-Verbal Therapy.

Fiona Twohey, therapist of Hear and Say Centre said that they teach children to listen and develop the language through listening alone.

“It involves parent participation on daily basis as coming to us once a week is not beneficial.”

“The Audio-Verbal therapy is the most expensive therapy and the parents pay only minimal clinical fees if they are able to; the government provides 16% of the funds,” said Fiona.

Jen Worthington, Gold Coast fund raising coordinator said, “The butterfly is actually a deaf insect; we chose a butterfly not only for the ‘Butterfly Appeal’ but also it is a logo for the Hear and Say Centre.

“Our little children are like deaf butterflies as they are in a cocoon, they slowly come out and then they enter the hearing world as they go through the program.”

“I am really looking for additional outlets, shops and anyone who can sell the badges; just put them on the shop front, it’s quite an easy process.”

The Audio-Verbal therapy is a therapy which teaches the children to understand the sounds they hear and thereby turn those sounds into speech and language.

It is the most intensive and expensive program costing the Centre over $10,000 each child each year.

It costs two dollars for a little brooch, five dollars for the pin and little pens for two dollars; one can purchase them at any Suncorp branches, any KFC store and also from some selected outlets.

Jen Worthington said that people love the badges, pins and pens as they are beautiful and colourful so anyone who can help by distributing the badges or other items that will be wonderful,” she said.

Fiona Twohey said, “Not that much have contributed so far as the Gold Coast Hear and Say Centre has only been up running for few years, so I am looking for as much support as we can get from the local community.”

“It will be great to see these children progress and move along with the other children in the hearing world,” she said.

Jen Worthington and Fiona Twohey both said that Hear and Say Centre is a wonderful organization.