Organized by Toronto area audiologists Chris Kyroglou and Nick Veronico along with music industry publicist Eric Alper, Hear Here is one of the only gatherings to benefit hearing-impaired children in the country. The 3rd annual funfest will be held on Sunday, September 12th at Camp Robin Hood in Markham, Ontario. Last year more than 2,000 people enjoyed themselves so much while raising over $7500, Chris, Nick and Eric knew they had to do it again.

With over 12 years of experience between them, Chris and Nick are dedicated to increasing access to hearing aids and other hearing devices for children. Many hearing-impaired children are not able to afford the aids largely due to recent government cutbacks and changes in the legislation. “The cost of hearing aids keeps going higher and higher and most parents just can’t afford them even with the government grant, if they even qualify,” says Chris. “Factoring in additional audiological costs will cause a lot of financial grief for most hearing impaired people. Hearing aids can range anywhere from $800.00 for a basic model to over $2000.00 for a high-end digital product.”

Responding to the need they witnessed in many of their clients, the idea for raising money came to Chris and Nick and their sponsors joined them enthusiastically. The monies raised will be donated to the Peter and Margery Keller Fund, a non-profit charity based at the Hospital for Sick Children. The fund makes hearing aids available to those who need them. This September the Hear Here funfest will feature a 50 table craft show with vendors from across Ontario, Juno-Award winning children performer Lenny Graf, Heidi the Clown, sports activities, food on-site, meet The Markham Firefighters, rides and games accessible to children of all ages.

“Impaired hearing is a sensitive issue, and we’re just trying to reach out to those who may feel too intimidated to ask for help financially for something that should be a basic right,” said Chris. “Union Hearing Aid has already helped so many people, and it’s refreshing to see so many people coming out to Hear Here.”

“What’s amazing,” Nick continues, “is that a great deal of people that attend Hear Here are not hearing-impaired. They’re just having a great time throughout the day and raising money at the same time.”

HEAR HERE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH
FREE ADMISSION
OVER $10,000 IN PRIZES TO BE WON!
CAMP ROBIN HOOD
10243 REESOR ROAD, MARKHAM ON
11AM-4PM Rain or Shine






Related Stories: