Warwick, RI - - February 13, 2009 - - Three employees from Beltone New England just returned from El Salvador where they donated their professional services and $500,000 worth of hearing aids to severely or profoundly deaf individuals residing in Nueva Esperanza, El Salvador. Most of the individuals residing in this town are refugees from Nicaragua who left that country due to civil unrest.
Caption: Mr. Ken Startz, Chief Operating Officer for Beltone New England
The team leader is Mr. Ken Startz, Chief Operating Officer for Beltone New England in Warwick, RI. The other two Beltone New England team members are Sue Burns and Carolyn Heselton who are certified hearing aid dispensers from Hyannis, MA and Lewiston, ME respectively. These employees paid for their own travel expenses and they stayed in a local convent for one week from January 24, 2009 through February 1, 2009.
Mr. Michael Andreaozzi, President of Beltone said, "I am extremely proud of these employees and the tremendous generosity they have demonstrated. We encourage all Beltone New England employees to give back to the community and this mission to El Salvador is testimony to the fact that our employees take that challenge very seriously. As a company, Beltone's commitment of $500,000 in hearing aids is also significant, and we are very happy to make that commitment. It is so gratifying to see what a difference improved hearing can make in someone's life."
Beltone New England has one hundred and twenty five Beltone hearing aid retail clinics in nine states. With more than one hundred and sixty employees, Beltone New England is the number one distributor of Beltone hearing aid instruments in the country. Beltone New England is privately owned and its corporate headquarters are in Warwick, RI.
For more information, visit www.beltone.com or the Beltone web channel on Audiology Online.