39th annual "Nobel Prize" for Public Service Awards Presented at Washington, D.C., and New York City Ceremonies
Minneapolis, July 1, 2011 - Starkey Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in hearing technology, is proud to announce that William F. Austin, CEO of Starkey and founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, was among 18 Americans to receive a 2011 Jefferson Award, the nation's highest honor for public service. Austin was honored for Outstanding Service by an Entrepreneur for decades of work bringing the gift of hearing to those in need through the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
"With Albert Schweitzer as my boyhood role model, it has always been my mission to help improve the lives of others in a truly meaningful way," said Austin. "The Starkey Hearing Foundation's mission is to bring the gift of hearing to those in need that they may be able to realize their full potential. To that end, we do all that we can to help make a difference in a person's quality of life by opening them up to a new world of sound that allows them to feel more connected to their family, their community and to the world at large."
The 39th annual awards, dubbed the "Noble Prize" for public service, were presented in ceremonies over two days at a gala in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, June 21, followed by a luncheon the next day in New York City. Other honorees included actress Marlo Thomas;Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry M. Reinsdorf;U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg;and former Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn.
About Starkey®
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. The company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Founded in 1967, Starkey currently employs more than 3,500 people, operates 22 facilities and conducts business in more than 100 markets worldwide. For more information, visit StarkeyPro.com or the Starkey Web Channel on Audiology Online.
About the Jefferson Awards for Public Service
The Jefferson Awards was co-founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard, as the 'Nobel Prize' for public service. Named for one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, the Jefferson Awards' central tenet is that each and every citizen shares a responsibility to work towards the betterment of their communities through economic participation, public service, volunteerism, and other such efforts to improve life for all. Today, the mission of the Jefferson Awards is to recognize, inspire and activate volunteerism and public service in communities, workplaces and schools across America. As President J.F. Kennedy once said, "One person can make a difference and every person should try" and to date, over fifty thousand individuals of all ages have been recognized by the Jefferson Awards for their efforts to make the world around them a better place. For more information on The Jefferson Awards, visit www.JeffersonAwards.org.
About The Starkey Hearing Foundation
The Starkey Hearing Foundation is striving to change the social consciousness of hearing and hearing loss prevention. Hearing loss affects one in 10 Americans, and 70 million children worldwide, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that can help correct that disability. The Foundation now delivers approximately 100,000 hearing aids annually through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam. Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need and is striving to achieve its goal of distributing over one million free hearing aids in this decade. In addition to giving the gift of hearing, the Foundation also works diligently to promote 'safe hearing' through two unique programs - the recently launched Listen Carefully campaign, aimed at preventing hearing loss among teens and young people;and the Sound Matters™ program, which with the help of partners such as Best Buy, the GRAMMY Foundation and others within the music and entertainment industry, seeks to raise social awareness of healthy hearing, prevention of hearing damage, and regular hearing check-ups. For more information on the Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.
