Erma Bombeck, an American author and humorist, wrote that “volunteers are like yachts… No matter where they are, they arouse your curiosity. Who are they? Why are they here?… If you have to ask how much they cost, you can’t afford them… They are the only human beings on the face of this earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfishness, caring, patience, need and just plain loving one another… It frightens me, somehow, to imagine what the world would be like without them.”
Throughout our 70-year history, the Savannah Speech & Hearing Center has been fortunate to have received a beautiful outpouring of volunteer support. Our community hearing screenings would absolutely not be possible without the commitment of volunteers. Volunteers also make a massive contribution towards the success of our Sound Start program, which is an intensive, early intervention, auditory/verbal program for children who are either deaf or hard of hearing as they learn to make use of amplification devices, either cochlear implants or hearing aids, so they can be mainstreamed in a typical elementary classroom. We are also thankful for volunteers to help with various administrative tasks and fundraising events.
Our stroke and TBI survivors’ support group, which has met together at our Center since the 1980’s, has welcomed many volunteer musicians, visual artists, yoga instructors, healthcare advisors, motivational speakers and friends through the years. It’s a means of connection and source of information that the group greatly benefits from and many would not be able to enjoy otherwise.
Each winter, the Speak Easy and Georgia Southern University Armstrong Communication Sciences Master’s degree candidates come together for what is called Communication Help for Adults After Stroke (CHATS), a service/learning experience. It provides the students studying speech-language pathology with an insightful educational experience and most importantly, it supports the speech, language, and cognitive function of our survivors.
The expression “service/learning” is ideal in describing volunteering in general. Volunteering is of course an act of service without traditional pay, but undoubtedly so much is gained and all that can be learned through the experience, the perspective it gives as well as the joy and satisfaction achieved, are of an extraordinary and immeasurable value.
Today is the start of National Volunteer Appreciation Week and so on this day (and every day), we would like to send out our greatest thanks to our volunteers. Your contribution is profound and heartening, making an extraordinary and lasting impact. A thousand thanks would never be enough!
If you’re interested in volunteering with us, please reach out to info@speechandhearingsav.org or call 912.355.4601 ext. 132.
We’re happy to share the pictures below of a few of the kind individuals who have supported our mission through the years, sharing their energy, expertise and goodwill to help others in our community.
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