The conference was intended to stimulate the exportation of crafts, handiwork, and humanitarian efforts to Morocco. Lindberg knew he would be in the company of medical professionals from all walks of life; all interested in bringing their talent and experience to those in need around the world.
The agenda for the weekend included a visit to the Imouzzer Foundation for speech and hearing impaired children, located about an hour away in the Atlas Mountains. The Foundation is a place where hearing impaired children live and work together, and are taught crafts to help develop skills, such as cutting hair. The children range from having moderate to complete hearing loss, and their affliction can cause them to be isolated from their families and the rest of society.
However, prior to their visit, event organizers made arrangements to bring a family with three hearing-impaired children down from the mountains. Erik arranged to have a doctor onsite to fit each child with a new Beltone Prima BTE hearing aid - using infant-fit ear molds - so that no ear impression was required. By evening, all three children were hearing for the first time.
The following day, he brought almost 40 more hearing aids - all donated by Beltone - to other deserving children living at the Imouzzer Foundation.
"It's hard to describe the look on the children's faces (and the faces of their parents) when they are suddenly able to hear the world around them for the very first time," Erik recalls. "Beltone has given me the opportunity to change the lives of those who might otherwise never even dream of this possibility. It has certainly changed my life, as well."
Immediately following his trip to Morocco, Lindberg was given the opportunity to continue his Third Word hearing crusade - this time by joining a fellow GN ReSound Group employee, Stavros Basseas, on a trip to Mexico. Prior to their arrival, Beltone donated 230 Beltone hearing aids and two audiometers to the Instituto de la Comunicacion Humana in Ayala, Mexico. A ceremony was held on May 20th to celebrate and hold the fittings for patients.
The mayor was present, as well as over 600 guests who had traveled from surrounding communities. About twenty patients were fitted with new hearing aids that very day, and free screenings and fittings will continue as long as the supplies last, according to Erik.
"There are so many opportunities for us to donate our time and equipment and really change people's lives," Lindberg said. "I look forward to revisiting these sites. Because to truly make a lasting difference, we have to stay involved and work on building upon the infrastructure of support in the communities. That way, patients will continue to receive the medical attention necessary to maintain benefits from the hearing aids."
Founded in 1940, Chicago-based Beltone Electronics Corporation, LLC. is part of the GN Hearing Care Group of global hearing care companies, utilizing advanced technology to produce hearing instruments sold in the United States, Canada and internationally.
In addition to providing outstanding service and support for its U.S. hearing care network operating in over 1,300 offices in North America, Beltone remains the most trusted brand for quality products and care among its patients and adults aged 50 and older.
For more information on Beltone, visit www.Beltone.com
For more information on GN ReSound, visit www.GNReSound.com
