Walk for Hearing

Get out on the streets and start walking to raise awareness of hearing loss.

Idea at a glance

Start a walkathon in your town to celebrate hearing, raise awareness of hearing loss, and show solidarity with hearing impaired persons.

Everyone could participate in the walk, no matter whether they have a hearing loss or not. The walkathon could help raise funds for a local or national hearing loss charity. Participants could collect donations and pledges for walking predetermined distances.

Events throughout the day could celebrate hearing and increase people's appreciation for sounds. Professional, amateur, and student music groups could perform throughout the day. Local hearing clinics and nonprofit organizations could provide information about hearing health and action steps.

Inspiration

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention arranges “Out of the Darkness” community walkathons to raise awareness of mental health issues, with hundreds taking place every year. They also organize campus walks at colleges and high schools, and overnight walks. Proceeds from these events help fund research, education, and advocacy programs to better understand and prevent suicide.

The Energy for Life Walkathons aim to raise awareness about mitochondrial disease and help raise funds for further research. Using a “peer-to-peer” fundraising strategy where registrants have their own online fundraising page, the walkathon allows everyone interested in the cause to create a team and participate.

Potential impact

Community walkathons can both raise funds for an important cause and raise topics to a national level.

Walking in the event could empower individuals with hearing loss to speak about their situation and engage in advocacy activities.

By involving children and families, the event could create a greater appreciation for hearing in general. In this way, the event could serve as a celebration of hearing, a way to inspire more people to take action and spread the word about the issue.