Welcome to the new HSF Web site! We are very excited to launch this new site at the start of 2010, a year that promises to be full of growth for the Foundation. We are also releasing our new logo redesign; a waveform of the phrase “The Hearing and Speech Foundation.” Thanks to Bob McLean, HSF board member and researcher, to this great idea!

Over the past 28 years, HSF has provided the gift of sound for thousands of people across East Tennessee and beyond. Despite funding shortfalls, we have continued to serve those in need with the support from our community. Currently, we serve 627 people in 26 East Tennessee counties.

Because of the growth and success of our hearing aid assistance program, we hired a new staff person to coordinate the program. Melissa Smith, office manager, joined the Foundation at the end of December 2009 and has been a valuable addition to our staff. To read more about the board and staff of the Foundation, please visit the About Us page on our Web site.

The Foundation also supports a research and development program, which continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In March, researchers with the Foundation traveled to Tampa, Fla., to deliver two papers on speech perception, which sparked a renewed interest in our program. Research is currently underway that will change the field of audiology, and researchers with The Hearing and Speech Foundation are leading the way.

Our training program accomplished a milestone in 2009 with the completion of a chapter on body movement for the training manual. This long-awaited achievement provides further momentum for training in the Verbotonal Method and growth for our training program.

The launch of our Web site brings new social media marketing opportunities for the Foundation. Please consider following us on Twitter and becoming a fan of the Foundation via Facebook. We will also publish a quarterly e-newsletter that will contain the latest news and updates from the Foundation, including upcoming events and opportunities to support our services and programs. Click here to sign up today!

As you can see, 2010 brings new possibilities for the future of our Foundation, and we ask that you consider being an integral part of this growth by pledging your support to provide the gift of sound to the people of East Tennessee and beyond. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help support our work. Thank you!