Free earplugs at Evergreen Clinic in May

In a country where more than 46 million people have a communication disability, Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic is doing its part to bring awareness and recognition to hearing and speech disorders.

This May marks the 82nd year of Better Hearing and Speech Month throughout America.

Also, Redmond Mayor John Marchione has officially declared May as Better Hearing and Speech Month in the City of Redmond. In celebration, Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic offices, located at 8301 161st Ave. NE, Suite 203 in Redmond, 12333 NE 130th Ln., Suite 430 in Kirkland and 1800 116th Ave. NE, Suite 103 in Bellevue, will offer free earplugs to anyone who stops in.

Other special events sponsored by Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic will include:

• From 8 a.m.-noon, Sunday, May 10, the clinic will be part of the festivities at the Kirkland Half-Marathon at Juanita Beach Park, 9703 NE Juanita Dr. in Kirkland. Staff will answer questions about speech and hearing and raffle off an iPod Shuffle with custom-fit ear molds to help runners stay safe while listening to music.

• At 11 a.m. Thursday, May 14 and 11 a.m. Thursday, May 28, The University of Washington Bookstore at 990 102nd Ave. NE in Bellevue will feature books about hearing and speech. Also, Speech Language Pathologists Jennifer Arenz and Kate Pilant will read to youngsters and answer questions about language development and literacy.

• From 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 16, a Speech and Hearing Early Intervention Workshop will be held at the Evergreen Speech & Hearing's Kirkland clinic. For more information on this event or to RSVP, e-mail info@everhear.com.

• At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30, the clinic will host the fourth annual "Turn It Down: EAR-responsible" concert at the Kirkland Teen Union Building, 348 Kirkland Ave. Evergreen staff will demonstrate how to enjoy music while also protecting your hearing. In partnership with Oticon Inc., Westone and H.E.A.R., Evergreen will raffle off iPods and musician in-ears. The event will include live bands and special guests. Admission is $8 with all proceeds going toward hearing awareness programs.

To learn more about these and other happenings during Better Hearing and Speech Month visit www.everhear.com/bhsm.

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