PEEPs

Alabama has a new parent mentoring program for families with children who have hearing loss. It's called PEEPs, Parents Educating & Encouraging Parents. A team of five Parent Mentors will volunteer to work directly with professionals, from Teachers of the Deaf, Early Intervention, speech therapists, doctors, anyone who works with children who have a hearing loss, gathering current and useful information from these sources and serve as an additional support to the families these professionals service. Parent Mentors will connect families with other dedicated Alabama volunteers as well, who guide new families and offer additional support. You can find out more about the PEEPs Program at The Children's HEAR Center or at our blog Alabama PEEPs.

Although the PEEPs program is currently housed at The HEAR Center we are not limited to its patient base. We are a parent group and can service all families in Alabama who can benefit from our mentors. Professionals give PEEPs no patient information. Instead families are offered ways to contact the mentors for support through email and our website.

The Charity League's Rhinestones & Wranglers Event

The Charity League announces it's annual

Rhinestones & Wranglers event to benefit the Children's HEAR Center and E.P.I.C. School with dinner, drinks, live music, and an auction

Tickets are $75

Event is at B & A  Warehouse

March 25, 2010

6-9 pm

Find out more here

Running for Lilly

Jennifer Andress, a dedicated advocate for families with special-needs children, has recently combined several of her favorite things in hopes to not only raise awareness for Lilly's condition (Mitochondrial Disease) but also transfer that awareness into raising ca$h for a charity. Jennifer has been an avid runner for years now, and being a cancer survivor has given her even more reasons to put on her favorite running shoes, crank up some Pearl Jam, and enjoy the fresh air while running for miles. She recently decided to enter her first full marathon (Mercedes Marathon), and raise money for The Bell Center on Lilly's behalf. Lilly and Jennifer's own children have something common, all are deaf and have learned to hear with cochlear implants. We wish Jennifer and Lilly good luck on Feb. 14. Click here to read more and find out how you can help Lilly and The Bell Center.

Alabama School for the Hearing

A few months ago, I was invited to observe a pre-school class at The Alabama School for the Hearing currently housed at The Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham, AL. Children's Hospital and Alabama Ear Institute collaborated to give parents of hearing-impaired children a preschool that focuses on developing and increasing verbal language skills through listening. According to Nancy Gregg (Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist) who teaches at the school, "The curriculum is literacy- and language-based. Each child also receives individual parent-centered therapy sessions." She encourages parents interested in the school to come by and visit, which is exactly what I did.

When I entered the classroom, I first noticed the beaming faces of these young children. All had smiles and seemed to be having a great time. The teachers (all Certified AVTs) were very patient with the kids and the small group size made it easy for everyone to speak, be heard, and listen to others. A classroom sound field FM system made teachers easier to hear through the children's hearing devices. They sang songs, they had lunch, they played, and they were encouraged to listen and speak the entire time. Not a minute was wasted when valuable language and listening skills could be incorporated throughout the day.

Currently, classes are held three days a week at the large and beautiful church, tucked away just outside of the busy streets of Birmingham. If you have a hearing-impaired child in Alabama (ages 3-7) and are interested in learning more about this school, feel free to email Nancy for more info.

Children's HEAR Center Charity Concert

Todd Simpson and Mojo Child, one of Birmingham's most popular Southern rock/blues bands, will be at Workplay on Jan. 9, 2010, with proceeds going to none other than The Children's HEAR Center!

Alabama Power and Tom Williams Lexus graciously sponsored the event sure to attract music fans from all over the state of Alabama.

Order tickets HERE!   and get a sneak peek at the band   HERE!

We thank our sponsors and Todd Simpson and Mojo Child for doing this for the Children's Hospital outpatient clinic – The HEAR Center. This band is no stranger to sell-out shows so order your tickets fast. They are $20 each and on sale now!

Todd is also no stranger to Children's Hospital. Having been born with DiGeorge Syndrome, he's spent many days (and nights) right inside the walls of the Birmingham hospital. If you want to donate to The HEAR Center directly, CLICK HERE to see how. Stay tuned for more on this and other exciting news about Alabama deaf/hard of hearing children.