Fashion show marks 10 years of helping babies with hearing loss
The Chi Omega Oklahoma City Alumnae Association hosted its annual Fashion with a Passion on Sept. 28 at fashion boutique CK & Co. in Nichols Hills Plaza.
The party and fashion show, now in its 10th year, benefits Oklahoma City-based Hearts for Hearing, which is one of the region’s largest providers auditory-verbal therapy and cochlear implants.
“It’s been very successful,” said Jane Webb, owner of CK & Co. and an alumna of Chi Omega sorority. “We’ve moved from a home-meet-andgreet to a program and fashion show under a tent for 250 to 300 women.”
Webb co-chaired the event with fellow alumnae Cassie Bowen and Cindy Reilley.
The show featured fashions from Webb’s boutique that represent the new fall trends, including military and vintage styles, velvet blazers, varsity looks, Chanel-type jackets, furs, metallics, big cardigans and windowpane plaid, Webb said. Active members and Chi Omega alumnae served as models.
“Chi Omega started this event with Hearts for Hearing, and they’ve been such good stewards of their money,” Webb said. “It’s been a really good partnership.”
Kris Hopper, development director for Hearts of Hearing, agrees.
“It is such a privilege to have such a high-end event,” Hopper said. “Jane has been engaged all along. She graciously stepped up and said let’s just host this at my store. She has done a phenomenal job. They go to a lot of trouble, and it’s really worthwhile. We couldn’t do this without them.”
Hopper said proceeds from the Sept. 28 event reached a record high. In the 10 years that the organization has hosted Fashion for a Passion, nearly $500,000 has been raised for Hearts for Hearing.
“We provide the first set of hearing aids with every newly diagnosed baby across the state. Because of the visibility and the awareness, referrals for newly diagnosed babies has been increasing over the last 12 months,” Hopper said. “It helps to alleviate some of our stresses in making sure we can provide for every family. We’ve never turned anyone away.”
Hopper said the benefit of Fashion for a Passion is about fundraising, but it’s also about creating awareness. “It gives us the opportunity to share that a baby born with hearing loss can learn to talk,” she said.
The earlier Hearts for Hearing audiologists can begin working with babies with hearing loss, the better the outcome is project to be,” Hopper said.
“If hearing loss is confirmed, we will talk to parents about the options available. If they choose (to teach their baby) listening and spoken language skills, that can happen as early as three weeks. We focus on getting it early and coaching them to teach their baby to listen and talk,” Hopper said. “Over 90 percent of parents with babies with hearing loss are born to hearing parents with no history
(of hearing loss). It’s a big surprise ... We realize that these families are faced with the medical costs of having just had a baby, so we take on the extra cost.”
In addition to testing and providing the baby’s first hearing aids, Hearts for Hearing also provides new ear molds every week or two to fit the baby’s growing ears.
“That’s a very expensive component,” Hopper said.
Hearts for Hearing works with more than just babies. Its audiologists also treat older children and the organization recently established an adult clinic.
For more information about Hearts for Hearing, go to heartsforhearing.org.