On May 17th at The Villa in Mountain Lakes, an anticipated 300 guests hope to raise a total of $100,000 to start an endowment for The Sound Start Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Babies. Since 1969, The Sound Start Program has provided comprehensive early intervention services more than a thousand babies with hearing loss from 92 school districts and eleven counties throughout Northern and Central New Jersey.
The first three years of life are critical for a baby's speech and language development. When babies with hearing loss get appropriate intervention from birth to age three, they can acquire age appropriate communication skills by the time they are five. Despite research supporting the benefits of early intervention for children with hearing loss, state funding covers only a portion of the comprehensive services provided by the Sound Start specialists necessary to prepare deaf and hard of hearing babies for a lifetime of learning and achievement.
The event is sponsored by The Lake Drive Foundation, a 501(C) 3 organization established by community leaders in 1996 to develop diversified sources of funding and build an endowment for The Sound Start Program.
Sound Start operates under the auspices of The Lake Drive School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Since 1969, The Lake Drive Program has provided New Jersey's most comprehensive continuum of programs for deaf and hard of hearing children from birth through high school graduation.
In addition to raising awareness and funds for early intervention, "For the Babies" is a celebration of achievements of the children and families who have been a part of the Lake Drive Program. Highlights of the evening include a reunion of Lake Drive Program High School graduates, entertainment by early elementary children with hearing loss and Mountain Lakes kindergarten students, a duet by Lake Drive Program High School seniors, and an awards presentation to the Founders of the Lake Drive Program and Sound Start Early Intervention Program, Gail Dunlap Reuben and Laura McKirdy, Ph.D.
Tickets are $90 per person, $175 per couple for dinner. Complimentary wine is included. There will be a live and silent auction. Guests are encouraged to organize a table for ten! Download an invitation here, or for more information, call The Lake Drive School at 973-299-0166 or email ssylvester@mtlakes.org.
|
