St. Paul, Minn.—June 25, 2007—With the help of dozens of well-known and highly respected celebrities, including Jim Belushi, Lou Ferrigno, Glenn Frey, Goldie Hawn, Jay Leno, Kenny Loggins, Marlee Matlin, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Rooney, Kevin Sorbo, Robert Wagner, and many others, the Starkey Hearing Foundation raised a record $4.5 million at its annual "So the World May Hear" Awards Gala, which was held on Saturday, June 23 in St. Paul, Minn. "For the seventh year in a row, we had tremendous support from our friends all over the world who helped us raise an amazing $4.5 million to further our mission of promoting hearing health awareness and helping the world to hear," said William F. Austin, founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. "I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who was a part of this year's Gala and who, through their generosity of time and money, helped make the world a better place for so many children."
The Starkey Hearing Foundation is known for donating hearing aids to underprivileged children both here in the United States and in countries all over the globe. Thanks to funds raised during this annual event, the Foundation has been able to donate an estimated 200,000 hearing aids in the past seven years alone in an effort to give the gift of hearing to those in need.
This year's star-studded Gala included performances by Jim Belushi and the Sacred Heart Band, Jay Leno, Jaime Thietten, Glenn Frey, and Kenny Loggins, who closed the show with a crowd-pleasing rendition of Footloose. In addition, the Foundation honored five individuals who have each made a significant contribution to humanity, including philanthropists Al and Cathy Annexstad, owners of Federated Insurance, Former United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn, and Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda.
Additional celebrities in attendance at the event included Buzz Aldrin, Peter Alexander, Scott Carpenter, Norm Crosby, Robert Culp, Lou Ferrigno, Peter Marshall, Marlee Matlin, Sam Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Rooney, Jane Seymour, Barbara Sinatra, Kevin Sorbo, Robert Wagner, and many others.
About the Starkey Hearing Foundation
Founded in 1984, the Starkey Hearing Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to giving the gift of hearing to the world. Through the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors, the Foundation delivers more than 20,000 hearing aids annually worldwide. In the past year alone the Foundation has donated 50,000 hearing aids. Since 2000, the Foundation has donated more than 200,000 hearing aids to those in need.
More information about the Starkey Hearing Foundation can be found at www.sotheworldmayhear.org or the Starkey Web Channel on Audiology Online at www.audiologyonline.com/channels/starkey.asp
