Toluca

Speech and hearing are Delta Zeta Sorority’s national humanitarian causes, a key reason why the sorority voted to make Starkey Hearing Foundation a philanthropic partner in 2006.

The partnership has grown as leadership throughout Delta Zeta continue to become more involved in Foundation activities.

In 2015, Delta Zeta committed to donate $5 million to the Foundation, and more than a million of that commitment has already been donated. The campaign to raise money began last year with Hike for Hearing, and the women who raised the most money from the campaign were told they would participate in an upcoming hearing mission.

In September 2016 the seven top fundraisers, along with Delta Zeta Foundation President Virginia Loftin joined the Foundation for a hearing mission in Toluca, Mexico.

The Delta Zeta women wasted no time in getting to work. The first day mission leaders trained them on the WFA^® fitting method and showed them how to get patients to the hearing level they needed. Quickly, the sorority members were fitting patients themselves, and making personal connections with each patient.

“One of the big takeaways for me has been the dignity of every single person we’ve helped,” Loftin said. “When you look them in the eye and realize how much they want to hear the voices of the people they love and have that independence all of our senses give us.”

Each of the four days of the hearing mission had more than 500 patients, and by the end of the week every sorority member had helped over 100 people. Never a single complaint uttered about the long days, they all wanted to see as many patients as they could help.

The entire Starkey Hearing Foundation team was impressed by the determination all the Delta Zeta women showed. Having the sorority members be a direct part of the work to give the gift of hearing will only continue to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations.

“It was incredible watching the Delta Zeta women in action,” Brady Forseth, Starkey Hearing Foundation executive director of philanthropy said. “It was easy to see the emotion they felt as they connected with patient after patient. We hope they share those feelings across their chapters and tell the Delta Zetas about the impact their efforts in supporting the Foundation are having around the world.”