Hearts for Hearing Chosen as a Finalist for the 2024 Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence Awards
Hearts for Hearing is one of twenty-one Oklahoma organizations that are now finalists for the prestigious Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards, presented annually by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP). Out of almost 19,000 nonprofits statewide, only twenty-one were named finalists.
“What an honor for our dedicated team of professionals to be named a finalist in the Health Services category this year,” says Joanna T. Smith, President & CEO of Hearts for Hearing, who adds, “Over the past 20 years, we have focused our energies on giving babies born deaf the opportunity to learn to listen and talk and offering the most comprehensive hearing health care services available in Oklahoma to children and adults. Our work is our passion, and this recognition is meaningful to all of us.”
On April 20, 2024, finalists will join together at Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club to celebrate and hear the announcement of the 2024 ONE Awards winners. Finalists are divided into seven mission categories and receive $5,000, with category winners receiving $7,500. On the night of the event, an overall winner will be awarded $10,000 and the title of Oklahoma’s 2024 Nonprofit of Excellence. In total, this year’s finalists will receive $125,000 to recognize the impact of their charitable work throughout the state. As of 2023, the OKCNP ONE Awards has given more than $2 million to more than 200 Oklahoma nonprofits.
“Being recognized as a finalist by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits allows Hearts for Hearing to showcase its status as a national leader dedicated to identifying hearing loss early and providing the technology and listening and spoken language services that enable best possible outcomes,” concludes Smith.
ONE Awards are presented in the following categories:
• Arts and Humanities
• Community
• Education
• General Impact
• Health Services
• Self-Sufficiency
• Youth Development
The finalists were chosen by the ONE Awards Selection Commission, a group of prestigious community leaders from across Oklahoma. The Commission, chaired by Phil Lakin, Jr., includes Kathie Coyle, Emily Dukes, Seth Fairchild, Lisa Greenlee, Molly Helm, Alana Hughes, Lindsay Laird, Randy Macon, Meg Salyer, Tyler Tokarczyk andMary Kate Wilson.
“The ONE Award recipients are selected not only for the excellence of their program delivery and internal management,” said Lakin, “but also for their innovation, leadership in the sector and response from the communities they serve.”
Hearts for Hearing is a comprehensive hearing healthcare clinic for children and adults with offices in Oklahoma and Tulsa. It was founded in 2003 as a 501(c)3 charity to provide the first set of hearing aids for children with hearing loss ages 0-3 in Oklahoma at no out-of-pocket costs to families. Its collaborative care model to include audiologists and listening and spoken language specialists within a single appointment is considered a gold standard helping patients achieve best possible outcomes. In 2013, Hearts for Hearing’s mission expanded to include services to patients of all ages. In 2023, the organization served more than 37,000 patients from all 77 counties in the state.
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities or how you can support these amazing nonprofit finalists in the 2024 ONE Awards, please contact Debra Hull at dhull@okcnp.org.
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About Hearts for Hearing
Hearts for Hearing is a comprehensive hearing healthcare clinic for children and adults. It provides industry-leading hearing care specialty services including newborn hearing screens, audiology, listening and spoken language, auditory processing, behavioral health, vestibular and balance, and national research projects in collaboration with major universities and manufacturers. Learn more at www.heartsforhearing.org.
