A Year in Review

It’s been a year already!? Seems like only yesterday I was writing my first article. It has been quite a year serving as your Sertoma President and I wish David Johnson all the best as he serves you next year.

First of all I want to thank everyone in Laurel, MS; Denver and Colorado Springs, CO; Albuquerque, Roswell, and Alamogordo, NM; Tampa, FL; and Thamesville, ON; for being such great hosts and treating me so well when I visited your areas. I did my best to pass on all the suggestions, comments, and concerns I got from each and every visit. It is so gratifying to know that every day Sertomans are volunteering, raising funds, making life worthwhile in their communities. Helping us spread our mission of hearing health.

I was honored to represent Sertoma and Hearing Charities of America at the official launch of the New Jersey Hearing Aid Bank last week at Montclair University in New Jersey. Greg Townson, Holly Walls, and I met and spoke with some wonderful folks about this joint venture between government, educators, and service volunteers. It is rare when such diverse groups can develop a program that will eventually help so many people in a area where no one knew anything about Sertoma. This is why we do what we do.

Also this year, I got firsthand knowledge of how to sponsor a CELEBRATE SOUND Don’t Walk in Silence® event when my club hosted a walk last November. A walk in November in Iowa, you ask? Yes, it was held in our enclosed mall and it goes to show that a small 11 member club can sponsor a walk and raise $3,000 for our national programs and another $3,000 for our local looping project. In addition to that, I was able to participate in the Tampa Gem’s walk in March. That was going from the small to the large. They did one fantastic job of organizing that event. I know there have been many walks this year and still more to come. I truly wish there had been money and time to participate in all of them. I hope that every Sertoman encourages their club to host a CELEBRATE SOUND event. No club is too small, no club has too many fundraisers. The additional income to your club and to our national philanthropy is always needed. The chance to meet others in the Hearing Health professions in your community and spread our mission is priceless.

Yes, it has been a great year serving the members of the greatest service organization in America. Please give David your undivided support next year and help him grow Sertoma to new heights in this still new century of service.

Sertoma – not always a secret

Not sure where to begin – probably with WOW! I just returned from attending the Audiology Now convention, the international meeting of the Audiology profession. I attended as a guest of the hosts – the American Academy of Audiology. Nearly 7,000 attended for an array of training, research reports, and a stunning display of all the new technology.

Though a great deal of the session were a bit beyond the novice level – there were many that focused on the issues we support as Sertoma. Those included:
• the availability of technology and service to under-served populations
• expanding the usefulness of hearing aids – looping and other technologies
• education and awareness programs to prevent noise induced hearing loss

What was probably most surprising and exciting was the presence of Sertoma and Hearing Charities of America – a presence that would have occurred even without my attendance. In at least six presentations that I attended, either Sertoma or Hearing Charities was included in the presentations. In almost every case, the presentations were prepared without knowledge I would be at the conference, let alone at those sessions. Bill Dickinson of Vanderbilt did a “research poster” a mini presentation in the part of the exhibit hall on the work of Vanderbilt with the Nashville Sertoma club.

What was most exciting was that one of our major partners who assisted in developing our “A Sound Investment” campaign for looping awareness – was the recipient of the two major industry awards for her work related to looping. We congratulate Juliette Sterkens for this achievement, as well to David Myers, PhD who received an AAA Presidential Award. Juliette and David were critical support for the development of our awareness campaign. We have a had a year’s head start on this issue, but it will become quickly a much higher profile with many organizations – so we have an opportunity to truly “make life worthwhile” by making the Sound Investment Awareness Campaign part of your service efforts during May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.

I wish I could package the scope of this event – as it brought to light the scale of the issues that define our hearing health efforts. There are thousands of people in the hearing health field, and with hearing health needs – that would welcome and support “Sertoma Service,” in support of their needs and efforts. We are going to need new ways to engage the community, to involve new forms of relationships, but if we can — the second century of Sertoma could be just the beginning.

Steven Murphy
Executive Director