Over 800 letters were mailed to AUDIENT participating providers and the response to our Local Outreach Project has been very good. Thirty providers sent us a list of ten locations where potential low income hearing aid candidates can be found in their area. We have been contacting the locations to inform them about AUDIENT and our local AUDIENT hearing care provider. Casey Tart, our Program Services Administrator, has already sent information packets to nearly 70 locations. Follow-up phone calls are being made to assure that the information arrived and is available for easy access to low income families. Our goal is to add 300 new locations where AUDIENT brochures are available to potential candidates in areas of the country where a dedicated AUDIENT provider is ready and willing to serve.

AUDIENT will be accepting lists for the Local Outreach Project through March 15, 2009. Please include phone numbers and/or emails so that we can make contact with the organization before we mail the information.

Please send your list of 10 locations with phone numbers or fax them to 1-206-838-7195 through March 15, 2009 to:

Some results so far: Good contact has been established with a health care center group that has an excellent community outreach program including screenings every few months. In addition, nine senior centers have taken an interest in presentations to educate their constituents.

AUDIENT has had the privilege of "catching" ten children up to the age of 18 - in eight different states - from "falling between those cracks." Eight of those children are under the age of 10. Two are young sisters from one family, just a year apart. You can read about them on the Advance for Audiology website where the family shared their story.

From Tears to Triumph: "Deborah Davis describes her two young daughters with hearing loss as 'fighters who refuse to be left behind.' Her story makes it clear where daughters Sydney, 7, and Maycee, 6, get at least some of that fighting spirit."

Dear AUDIENT,

I am happy to tell you how glad I am to be using my hearing aids. It's been 6 months and I should have written to you sooner. At age 94 with arthritic hands, things happen slowly. I tell my friends, "buy all the tickets you can from the Lions Club." We must help them all we can! They do so much for others.

Sincerely,
Sadie

Rio Rancho, TX

AUDIENT would like to give special recognition to Albuquerque Hearing Associates for their dedicated and professional work with Sadie.

is an alliance for accessible hearing care designed to assist income qualified hard of hearing people nationwide to access quality hearing aids and related care at significantly reduced costs. Visit our website: www.audientalliance.org or call us toll free:

1-877-AUDIENT (1-877-283-4368)

The oldest AUDIENT participant in 2008 was 96 years old.  She learned about a AUDIENT through an article that appeared in the newspaper many months prior to deciding to apply.

The youngest AUDIENT participant in 2008 was 3 years old. The family was referred to AUDIENT by their hearing care provider.