National

Starkey Hearing Foundation

In 1954, Delta Zeta’s National Convention voted to make Hearing and Speech our philanthropy concern. Since then, our members have raised millions of dollars to support local organizations tending to the needs of non-hearing people. In 2015, we named Starkey Hearing Foundation one of our National Philanthropy Partners in an effort to extend our impact throughout the world. Starkey has a public pledged to provide more than one million hearing aids to people in need this decade. They currently give more than 175,000 hearing aids annually through missions around the world.

In 2015, Delta Zeta pledged to raise $5 million over the next five years for hearing and speech, and to donate that amount to Starkey Hearing Foundation. Delta Zeta Sorority was also named an Honoree at the 2015 Starkey Awards Gala.

SeriousFun Children's Network

Enriching the lives of children with serious medical conditions is a mission that Delta Zeta Sorority is committed to achieving.

SeriousFun Children’s Network (SeriousFun) is Delta Zeta’s Global Service Project, coupled with the Sorority’s national commitment to support SeriousFun through donations.

SeriousFun serves as a support center to its 30 member camps and programs around the world to provide essential resources, funding, training and assistance to help strengthen and grow their global family of camps and programs. This includes The Painted Turtle. Through our partnership with SeriousFun, Delta Zetas have an opportunity to volunteer globally. They have access to SeriousFun’s nine camps in the United States (including The Painted Turtle) as well as their international camps around the globe. This includes two English-speaking camps in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Through the volunteer experience at any of the SeriousFun camps, our members are not only helping the children they serve, but enriching their own lives as well. Our collegians and alumnae are honored to make a difference for these children.

All of our donations benefit the children that participate in these life-changing experiences with SeriousFun and Delta Zetas.

American Society for Deaf Children

The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) has been serving families with deaf children for 53 years. Because more than 90 percent of Deaf children are born to hearing parents, ASDC has made it their mission to help those parents learn American Sign Language (ASL) so their whole family can communicate and connect with their Deaf child.

Through this partnership, Delta Zeta members will have the opportunity to learn more about ASL, gain a greater understanding of Deaf culture, spread awareness and become informed and effective allies of the Deaf community.

Other Philanthropic Resources:

• National Resources for Deaf Children

• Deaf Culture 101

• ASL Stories Directory

• American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC)

Hearing

●      466 million people worldwide have hearing loss.

●      32 million people affected by hearing loss are children under the age of 15.

●      One in six teens have noise induced hearing loss from high volume sounds (earbuds, concerts).

●      One in five Americans have hearing loss in at least one ear.

●      A hearing loss is more common in men than women.

●      The elderly with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia.

●      1.5 million school age children have hearing loss.

●      Eight out of 10 people say hearing aids improve quality of life.

●      People with hearing loss wait an average of seven years before seeking help.

Speech

●      40 million Americans have communication disorders.

●      By first grade, five percent of children have noticeable speech disorders.

●      6-8 million Americans have some form of a language difficulty.

●      A language disorder is when a person has trouble understanding others or has trouble sharing thoughts, ideas or feelings.

●      5-10 percent of preschool children will have a language delay.

●      Infants show a bias for listening to speech at birth.

●      The acquisition of speech typically requires hearing others speak.