Reports
- From the desk of the Executive Director
- Update from the Gander Branch
- Update from the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Branch
- Update from the Exploits Valley Branch
- Update from the Parents Group
1. From the desk of the Executive Director
Summer is here....finally, or I hope it is. As usual, everyone involved with the association has been very busy the past few months with meetings, planning and conducting the regular business of the association. Some of the more important initiatives that we worked on for this spring include Better Hearing and Speech Month Activities, Adopt-A-Classroom and Youth Vibrations Workshop (sessions for hard of hearing youth from across the province to help prepare for the transition from high school to the world of post-secondary education).We are pleased to welcome Megan Fowlow and Sharon Tarrant, two summer students who will be with us for eight weeks. One of these placements is a Summer Work And Service Program (SWASP) and the other is a Summer Career Placement (SCP). Both positions are funded by government to provide employment experience for graduating high school or post-secondary students. These students will help with general office duties, and the association’s programs and services.
We are working to develop the association’s next three year Strategic Plan 2008-2011 which will guide our activities and work efforts for the next three years. Plans are underway for the Annual General Meeting which will be held on Friday, September 26th and the Annual Planning Retreat for board members, staff and Branches to be held on Saturday, September 27th. The association is also hard at work developing a full Policy and Procedures Manual that will guide the work of the association in all areas (Administration, Human Resources, Finance, Programs and Services, Fundraising, Fund Development and Fundraising, Occupational Health and Safety, Information Technology, Volunteers and Communications).
Recently, board members, staff and several hard of hearing youth members, attended the CHHA Annual Convention and AGM in Vancouver, BC. It was a joint Congress with the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH) which was a first of its kind event for CHHA.
Over 500 delegates from 29 countries attended what was an excellent conference and program of activities. CHHA-NL received the Charles Laslzo Award for Technical Excellence which was awarded for our work with Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT). CHHA-NL has won this award three years running. Erika Breen received the Hard of Hearing Youth Scholarship for her leadership and work on behalf of CHHA and CHHA-NL, while the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Branch received the Bette Moulton Award for Best Idea or Program. Congratulations to all the winners. The Ultimate Dream Home 17 is now underway and we encourage you to continue to support the association’s fundraising efforts. The last day to purchase tickets is August 24th and the draw date is September 10th. As always, protect your hearing, if you need help, contact us at (709) 753-3224 or chhanl@nfld.net or lmills@nfld.net. Have a great summer!
2. Update from the Gander Branch
The Gander group enjoyed another successful year of activities in 2007-08. Cal Carter, volunteer with the Hearing Helpers program, addressed our group in January and we were pleased to welcome him as a member of the branch along with Leo Burke and Bonnie Kirstis. Cal now is our treasurer, while Leo is our new secretary. We celebrated Christmas along with spouses at Hotel Gander, as has been our practice for the past few years. We donated 4 Assistive Devices to James Peyton Memorial hospital and one to Lakeside Seniors' Home, while continuing to bring one to each of the seniors' homes in the area. Also continued, is the assistive device loans services for individuals on a trial basis. In early May we hosted Gael Hannan and our NL president, Myrtle Barrett, to a dinner at Hotel Gander and spent a very enjoyable social evening in their company. Five of our members took part in the CHHA-NL seminar held in Grand Falls-Windsor in early May. Two members continue to sell tickets on the Dream Home. We have brought the year to a close until September and look forward to another year of companionship and service.
3. Update from the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Branch
Greetings from our little part of the province. The Happy Valley-Goose Branch hopes that you are all enjoying your summer. Our Branch became one year old this past April and our members feel we have learned and accomplished a lot since we were formed. Have a look at our website of which Alison Day so graciously takes care of whenever I send her updates. You will find it on CHHA-NL's site under Contact Us. You will also see the monthly columns that I write for our local newspaper to help create public awareness.
Our Branch meets monthly except for July and August. We have over 20 members but our meetings usually consist of 8 or 9 people. Not everything has been put on hold for the summer months. We are currently selling tickets on the Dream Home and we continue to advocate for the Hard of Hearing by way of letters, emails, etc. Through the wonders of the Internet, most of our Branch members can stay in touch with each other and keep one another up-to-date.
Recently we purchased a handmade Christmas quilt on which we are going to sell tickets in the fall. It is beautiful and I have money for tickets not printed yet!
Vice-president Dave Massie and his wife, member Hannah, recently returned from Grand Falls-Windsor where they attended the Hearing Health Fair. They were very impressed with the fair and gave us a report on it at our last meeting. They thoroughly enjoyed Gael Hannan's show and the church Service on Sunday.
Our goal is the make our area of the province become fully accessible for the hearing impaired. We are pleased with what we have accomplished to date but we do realize that everything can't happen overnight. We are also extremely pleased with the support given to us by the NL Chapter. Together we can make a difference!
4. Update from the Exploits Valley Branch
Hello everyone from CHHA-EVB! We have enjoyed another busy year in Central helping clients with Tinnitus and Menieres issues, administrating the Loaner Pocket Talkers Program, selling Dream Home tickets, and promoting awareness for hard of hearing concerns in our area.
CHHA-EVB really appreciated partnering with the branches for the Hearing Health Information Fair during ‘Better Hearing and Speech’ Month. We also enjoyed the unforgettable performance of ‘Ear Rage’ by Gael Hannan at the Gordon Pinsent Centre in Grand-Falls Windsor.
Board member Ted Clarke just recently attended the national conference in Vancouver BC and had a great time. He brought back a lot of valuable information for CHHA-EVB.
We lost one of our charter members, Mr. Ken Hollett on Feb 24th 2008. He was held in high regard by the central Newfoundland community and he will be missed by CHHA-EVB.
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer. We look forward to a busy fall.
5. Update from the Parents Group
Wow! Another CHHA Parent’s Group year has come and gone. But listening and learning for our Hard of Hearing children continues through the summer months.
The Group had a very successful year of various events for children and their families. The highlight was once again the Annual Grade Five Speak Off. This year 14 children participated in the speak off, 4 of which were hard of hearing. All speeches were excellent which provided a challenge to our judges. The 1st place winner was Damir Golami, of St. Francis of Assisi School, for his speech entitled, “Being Small”.
The group launched the “Ask a Professional” section on the CHHA-NL website. Throughout the months of September to June, there will be a topic presented to a hearing professional on relevant services. Parents and children alike can send in their questions.
A province wide Teleconference took place for the first time and we are happy to report that it went very well. Another teleconference is planned for a date in October. Information regarding the time in October will be announced on the CHHA-NL website!
Judy Rogers (parent), Alison Day, and I visited the parents group in Marystown hosted by local Itinerant teachers. A donation of $100 was made on behalf of CHHA-NL to purchase alarms for 2 hard of hearing students living in residence at MUN. The Parents Group was again able to offer support to an active parent and child to attend the AG Bell Conference in Milwaukee this past June. Stay tuned to Darlene and Melanie’s journey on the CHHA-NL website! Additionally, I attended the International Hard of Hearing Conference in Vancouver, B.C July 2-6. The conference provided great information to absorb!
July 18-20 is the 2nd Annual “HEAR” Camp. This year it is being held at the Max Simms Memorial Camp just outside of Bishop Falls. Fifteen Hard of Hearing Children will be attending. The group has donated disposable cameras and photo albums for the campers so they can have long lasting memories. We look forward to hearing all about camp when they return!
As you can see, we have been quite busy over the past few months. Remember kids speak clearly, listen, read, write a journal of summer activities, and get out in the sun and have FUN! See you in the fall!