IF YOU GO
What: Walk4Hearing fundraiser. When: 10 a.m. Saturday. Registration starts at 9 a.m. Where: Chattanooga State Technical Community College, 4501 Amnicola Highway. Phone: 894-3138. E-mail: baproctor1@ comcast.net. Web site: www. walk4hearing.org.
Chattanooga-area residents can take a step toward helping the hard of hearing at a fundraiser debuting Saturday.
Walk4Hearing is a national walkathon program organized by the Hearing Loss Association of America to raise funds and awareness of the condition, which affects an estimated 31 million Americans. Though held in various cities around the nation since 2006, Saturday’s event is the first Walk4Hearing in Tennessee.
“The chances are good that someone you know has — or will experience in the near future — significant hearing loss,” said a news release from walk chairwoman Betty Proctor. “These individuals have little support and face a multitude of severe obstacles as they struggle to fit into a hearing world.”
Participants will gather at the main campus of Chattanooga State Technical Community College and ramble along the adjoining Tennessee Riverwalk.
Free hearing screenings, disability vendors and children’s activities will be part of the event as well.
Officials with the local chapter say they hope to raise $25,000 at the premier walk. To date, the group has raised just under $20,000. All proceeds will be used to fund local and national HLAA programs that help reduce the impact of hearing loss on a person’s daily life. Donations are tax-deductible.
The Web site, www.walk-4hearing.org, contains information about becoming a sponsor, signing up as a walker or making a donation to the cause.
