Special Olympics 2015 Starkey Hearing Foundation announced that it has become the Health Hearing partner for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, July 25 through August 2. As a partner, the Foundation will provide hearing exams and free hearing aids to Special Olympics athletes at the Summer Games.

According to Starkey, Special Olympics Healthy Hearing is one of seven disciplines within the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program. The Healthy Athletes program works to provide health services and information to millions of people in need in more than 130 countries. Healthy Hearing has provided free hearing exams in more than 80 countries and has distributed more than 2,000 hearing aids worldwide.

“We are proud to partner with an organization like Starkey Hearing Foundation,” said Special Olympics CEO Janet Froetscher. “We use the transformative power of sports to instill confidence, improve health, and connect our athletes with their communities. Having the ability to hear gives our athletes the confidence they need to succeed in competition and their communities.”

Starkey Hearing Foundation works to provide hearing care and hearing aids to people in need. Last year the Foundation provided more than 175,000 free hearing aids worldwide. The Foundation says that this partnership with the Special Olympics will help it fulfill its goal of providing 1 million hearing aids this decade.

The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games will feature 25 sports at various venues across Los Angeles, including USC and UCLA. More than 6,500 athletes from 165 countries will compete. Some of the sporting events include basketball, cycling, equestrian, soccer, golf, gymnastics, aquatics, powerlifting, volleyball and sailing. Additionally, throughout the 9-day competition, the World Games will offer educational programs for athletes, friends, and families.

For additional information about the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, visit the Special Olympics 2015 website.

Source: Starkey Hearing Foundation

Photo credit: Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015