The Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation Award a 2-year Grant for the Cochlear Implant Program at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland

Giving the Gift of Everlasting Hope

April 6, 2012

Oakland, Calif. – Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the recipient of a two-year grant to assist deaf and hearing impaired children with cochlear implants. The majority of the grant supports a position for an educator, researcher, and outreach liaison for cochlear implant patients and their families.

MaryKay Therres, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, is the new Audiology Outreach Coordinator funded by the grant. MaryKay is working on improving family outreach to include the development of parent and teen audiology support groups. Additionally, MaryKay will help provide resources for families by identifying additional funding sources to cover expenses not covered by medical insurance.

MaryKay will also develop a study group, providing professional development through presentations, school visits, and consultations to raise awareness among educators, pediatricians, ENTs and the deaf community about cochlear implants. Children with listening and spoken language challenges will be provided an educational setting to help them accomplish their personal goals.

"We would like all children to have the opportunity to grow and learn. Helping children with hearing loss is a passion for us, and we are honored to partner with Children’s Hospital Oakland and Dr. Michael Murray [Medical Director of Children’s Cochlear Implant Team] to meet the needs of our community and our children,” said Wendy Hayward, Executive Director of the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation.

The gift from the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation has also funded the refurbishment of the Audiology department at Children's Hospital Oakland – a gift which inspired gallery featured artist Laura Smith Blair to lend her talents to help kids with cochlear implants. She has canvassed the department with lavender walls displaying famous quotes and vibrant, animated pictures of flight to remind kids of the immortal words of E.Y. Harburg, "If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can't I?"

"I was inspired by the dedication of the nurses, doctors, and therapists at Children’s Hospital Oakland, who are committed to serving children and families with the very best of care. The kids I met at Children’s were delightful and I was moved by their determination to learn and grow,” said Laura. “My wonderful experience with the Audiology department on this project makes me want to volunteer more for Children’s Hospital Oakland.”   

According to Sara Merrick, Vice President of Philanthropy at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Foundation, grant funding and donations help provide valuable resources that allow Children’s to deliver highly specialized programs to benefit the community. “We are grateful to have the support of people like Wendy Hayward, Executive Director of the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation, and its trustees, and it is in part because of their generosity that Children’s is able to deliver amazing care,” said Sara.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Paula Lykins
Foundation Communications Manager
510-428-3882


About Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland is Northern California’s only independent not-for-profit regional medical center for children. Children’s Hospital Oakland is a national leader in many pediatric specialties and sub-specialties including hematology/oncology, neonatology, cardiology, orthopedics, sports medicine, and neurosurgery. The hospital is one of only two solely designated California Level 1 pediatric trauma centers with the largest pediatric inpatient critical care unit in the region. Children’s Hospital has 190 licensed beds, 201 hospital-based physicians in 30 specialties, more than 2,700 employees, and an annual operating budget of more than $350 million. Children’s is also a premier teaching hospital with an outstanding pediatric residency program and unique pediatric subspecialty fellowship programs.

Children’s research program, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), is internationally renowned for taking state-of-the-art basic and clinical research and translating it into interventions for treating and preventing human diseases. CHORI has 300 members of its investigative staff, a budget of about $50 million, and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 research centers in National Institutes of Health funding to children’s hospitals. For more information, go to www.childrenshospitaloakland.org and www.chori.org.

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