By Brandi McGrath Kong, Director of Member Services & Conferences
 

Hearing health has been part of the Sertoma mission for more than 50 years, and in that time, our clubs have found new and unique ways to incorporate our national hearing loss education and awareness programs at the local level.

One such program is SAFEEars!®,  which aims to motivate individuals of all ages to take action against noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) by teaching what causes it and how it can be avoided. Learning materials geared toward both children and adults help SAFEEars!® explore the lifelong impact of NIHL. The program also looks at how sensorineural hearing loss can affect your health long term.

SAFEEars!® is an easy program for most clubs to adopt. In fact, we have found that most clubs typically find ways to incorporate the national programs into already-existing events that their club participates in, sponsors or hosts.

For example, the Southglenn Sertoma Club engages local young athletes in Colorado by sharing hearing protection and information with junior golfers and swimmers at their local country club. The Tampa GEM Sertoma Club uses National Teach-In Day each November to educate other Floridians about hearing health.

You can learn more about SAFEEars!® on the Sertoma website or by emailing infosertoma@sertoma.org to see what materials may be available for clubs.