GonaÏves, Saint-Marc, Croix-des-Bouquets, Turgeau

Our final international hearing mission of 2015 took place in Haiti, capping off an incredible run of 11 consecutive weeks of mission work.

Nearly six years removed from a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook an already troubled country to its core, Haiti still remains in vast disarray.

Haiti’s difficulties in improving the quality of life for its citizens have worn especially hard for those living with hearing loss. Thousands of people who lack the ability to hear, and are already living in impoverished conditions, have had an even more difficult time trying to better their lives and their families.

However, despite the hardships, it was incredibly heartwarming to see joy shown by the more than 1,000 people we were able to give the gift of hearing in Haiti.

We were thrilled to be joined in Haiti by Cy Young Award winning pitcher Barry Zito, boxing champion Andre Berto, NFL star Jack Brewer, Delta Zeta Sorority National President Diane Stecher, Nina Hale and a fantastic Audigy Group team. All wasted no time jumping in with the rest of the mission team to work to give hearing to Haitians in need.

It was also great to be joined in Haiti by 15-year-old Jack McConnell. Born with hearing loss, he was fit with his first set of hearing aids at just six weeks old. Because he received hearing aids at such an early age, he was able to develop speech and incorporate hearing into his life.

Even while still in elementary school, Jack realized that there are many people across the world living with hearing loss similar to his that have no access to hearing aids. While researching what he could do to help, he discovered Starkey Hearing Foundation and was inspired by the vision of Bill Austin.

Jack connected with Bill, and since he was 12-years-old, he has joined us on hearing missions around the world, including stops in Peru, Ghana and Nicaragua before coming with us to Haiti. Jack’s dedication to giving back now serves as tremendous inspiration for all.

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Special Thanks

Audigy Group: Brandon Dawson, Natalie Workman, Dr. Michael Workman, Ricardo Rodriguez, Meredith Wilken, John Curran, Andy Birchfield; Delta Zeta Sorority: Diane Stecher; Nina Hale, Inc.: Nina Hale; Leslie Hale; Taylor Parr; 20/20 Hearing: Jack McConnell, Matt McConnell; Dr. Robert Dean; The Jack Brewer Foundation: Jack Brewer; Andre Berto; Dr. Reginald Pereira; Barry Zito