The mission of the Lake Drive Foundation is to support the identification, evaluation, therapeutic intervention and education of hearing impaired communication impaired infants, toddlers and children.
The brain is the organ of hearing – the ears are only the vehicle through which sound is transmitted to the brain. All babies are born with their brains pre-wired to learn listening and spoken language from birth. But for a baby born with hearing loss, time is of the essence.
A baby’s brain becomes 90% hard-wired during the first three years. In the absence of auditory information, nature has efficiently arranged for alternate use of the brain areas reserved for deciphering hearing, space that can not be reclaimed as effectively again.
Because of this new knowledge about early childhood brain development and dramatic changes in advanced hearing technology such as cochlear implants, today’s infants represent a new and different generation of children who are deaf. There is no limit to what babies born deaf or hard of hearing can achieve with appropriate early identification, amplification and intervention. The only limitation is funding.
Despite overwhelming research proving the importance of early intervention to school readiness, achievement, and success, New Jersey state funding covers less than one third of the cost of the comprehensive services necessary to help hearing disabled children learn to communicate and fulfill their cognitive potential.
We hope you’ll join the Lake Drive Foundation in supporting The Sound Start Program for infants and toddlers with hearing loss in our community. Every child deserves a sound start.
| SHOP HERE – IT’S EASY!Use these links and participating retailers will donate up to 10% of your purchase to The Sound Start Program. Combined, these links give you access to 750 of your favorite online stores. Share these links to your family and friends. |    |
Why not celebrate or honor a loved one with a donation in their name?
