New Jersey residents of all ages are invited to join the Garden State Walk4Hearing to support New Jersey residents with hearing loss.
The 5K walk, sponsored by The Hearing Loss Association of New Jersey (HLANJ), will take place at Mercer County Park West in West Windsor on Oct. 15. Anyone interested in hearing loss is also invited to attend the free kick-off luncheon event on Aug. 28, according to a press release from the HLA-NJ.
“The Walk4Hearing is a great opportunity for individuals, families, and groups to step up and raise awareness to help end the stigma of hearing loss in our area,” Arlene Romoff, president of HLA-NJ, said in the press release. “There are a variety of ways people can get involved, such as walking to raise funds, organizing a team of walkers as a team captain, sponsoring a walker or team, volunteering, or making a donation.”
An estimated 31 million Americans have some form of hearing loss, third in prominence among public health issues after heart disease and arthritis. The numbers of people with hearing loss are growing dramatically, due to such factors as heavily amplified rock music, widespread use of listening devices with ear bugs, and combat troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with hearing damaged by explosives, according to HLA-NJ. “No matter what the age, hearing loss can have serious results, strain relationships and lead to workplace problems as well as isolation and depression,” Romoff said.
Since 2006, thousands of people nationwide have joined the Walk4Hearing. In 2010, HLAA held 18 walks across the United States, raising more than $4 million with more than 6,000 walkers.
Funds raised in prior walks have been used to stop a tax from being imposed on hearing aids, to partner with Amtrak to roll out captioning on announcement boards and to aid the wireless industry in making wireless telephones compatible with hearing aids . Funds have also helped to reach out to young adults with hearing loss through www.hearinglossnation.org and to develop www.kidsandhearingloss.org.
The free kick-off luncheon will start at 2 p.m. Aug. 28 in the Montclair State University, Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders in Bloomfield.
For more information about the Walk4Hearing, or to register, sponsor a team or volunteer, visit www.walk4hearing.com.
For specific details about these events, contact Laura Lindson, chairperson, at [email protected].