Hearts for Hearing expanded its summer camp program to the Tulsa area on June 5th. The camp is designed for children with hearing loss who are learning to listen and talk.
This year marks the 20th year in Oklahoma City and the first year for Tulsa. In May, Hearts for Hearing opened a pediatric and adult clinic to serve patients and families in the northeastern part of the state.
“Ten years ago, I would have never imagined that we would be able to host a camp for our children with hearing loss in Tulsa, but this year we did just that!” said Lindsay Hanna, Summer Camp Director. “Downtown Tulsa was the perfect location for these families who have spent numerous hours and miles on the Turnpike over the years to meet up for the day. It was an incredible day connecting the campers with one another, visiting Tulsa venues, and sharing what children with hearing loss are capable of doing.”
The camp, This Land is Your Land, was a day-long enrichment experience for school-age children with hearing loss. It helps them continue to develop their auditory, speech, language, social and cognitive skills during the summer while also connecting with their peers.
One of the camp partners this year was 108|Contemporary where the children got to be the very first to see a neon exhibit created by artist, Todd Sanders, who they got to meet and ask questions.
“This was a day of firsts!” said Susan Baley, Executive Director of 108|Contemporary. “We were thrilled to have the Hearts for Hearing campers as our first visitors to the Todd Sanders: Roadside Neon exhibition during their first camp in Tulsa. The campers arrived as the exhibition was being installed by Sanders, so they got to see the brightly colored neon signs and hear firsthand from the artist about his process. The campers were also the first people to complete our craft kits which correspond to the exhibition and allows young artists to create glow-in-the-dark yarn art.”
Hearts for Hearing also partnered with the Tulsa Symphony. The children learned about “Good Vibrations” and how different instruments work and sound.
“Tulsa Symphony views itself first and foremost as a service organization aiming for meaningful impacts throughout our region’s many communities” said Dr. David Carter, Principal Clarinetist at the Tulsa Symphony. “Thank you for the opportunity to learn of additional ways we can be of service. This was a truly unique experience.”
The campers had a great day of connecting with other children just like them while celebrating their ability to listen and talk.
Hearts for Hearing was started in 2003 to provide funding for the initial set of hearing aids for children with hearing loss in Oklahoma. In 2007, its mission expanded to become a comprehensive hearing health clinic for both children and adults. Hearts for Hearing began its collaborative model of audiologists and speech-language pathologists working together to provide the best outcomes. In 2013, it opened an adult clinic to meet the needs of adults with hearing loss in Oklahoma.
