You never know what is going to connect someone to Sertoma. We all have our stories for what brought us to become a Sertoma member, a volunteer, a donor or supporter. Some of them are as simple as someone being invited to a lunch. Others were put upon them originally as a job requirement, only to fall in love with a club’s work and the organization’s mission. And for some, the story is very personal.

One of those stories belongs to a woman named Joanne. Forty-three years ago, while in their early 20s, Joanne and her husband adopted a little girl who was deaf. They had exhausted their finances making the adoption happen and were left worrying how they would care for her expensive hearing health care. That’s when a local Sertoma club stepped in to help her.

Thanks to Sertoma, Joanne’s daughter received two brand new hearing aids for free. Though it was decades ago, the family never forgot the amazing gift from the club and remained grateful for the gift. Joanne shared that her daughter grew into a “an amazing, independent woman.”

“We are grateful to Sertoma for their help in getting our daughter a good start on her educational journey,” Joanne said. “Our experience as her parents became instrumental in my life’s course.”

Joanne now serves in a leadership position in a governmental early intervention program that focuses on serving little ones with hearing differences. The group is currently working on improving advanced diagnostic testing for newborns and infants who do not pass their initial hearing screening.

Stories like Joanne’s shows the true power of Sertoma’s Service to Mankind. The club’s support of one family 40+ years ago not only changed the life of one family but thousands of families that Joanne has served throughout her career. So, let this serve as a reminder that the impact we make every day in communities throughout North America reaches far beyond what we can see.