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Youth

Sonic Innovations Donates Hearing Aids to Teen Entrepreneurs

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Two Chicago teens, Marcella Liggins and Christopher Turnbo, have been selected to receive free hearing aids from Sonic Innovations, Inc. (Sonic) in recognition of their innovative work in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) program. The donation will take place on June 30 at 10 a.m. at Audiologic Services in Glen Ellyn, IL, during a fitting session with Dr. Linda Burba. Liggins and Turnbo, both 17-year-old students from the Chicago Vocational and Career Academy, won first place in the semi-finals and a consolation prize in the finals of NFTE's annual city-wide business plan competition. The students developed a business plan for a hearing aid company that would develop state-of-the-art communications for people who are hearing impaired.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sonic Innovations, Inc. is donating two pairs of Endura hearing aids and sonicBLU devices to Marcella Liggins and Christopher Turnbo, two 17-year-old students from the Chicago Vocational and Career Academy.
  • The donation is in recognition of the students' innovative work in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) program, where they won first place in the semi-finals and a consolation prize in the finals.
  • Liggins and Turnbo's business plan for a hearing aid company that would develop state-of-the-art communications for people who are hearing impaired caught the attention of Sonic's investors, who then partnered with the company to provide the students with the donation.
  • The students' severe hearing loss requires them to wear hearing aid devices, and they developed a business plan for a company that would develop Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids to improve communication.
  • The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is a national teen entrepreneurship program taught at 33 Chicago Public High Schools, reaching 2,000 students.
  • Accepting the donation, Dr. Linda Burba commented, "I'm excited to see the impact this will have on Marcella and Christopher's lives."

Statistics:

  • 2-3 out of every 1,000 children in the U.S. are born deaf or hard-of-hearing (Source: Sonic Innovations President and COO, Paul Wennerholm).
  • NFTE trains 2,000 students in Chicago Public Schools through its national teen entrepreneurship program.
  • 33 Chicago Public High Schools offer the NFTE program, where students learn real-life business skills and develop concepts for their own businesses.

Sources:

  • Sonic Innovations, Inc.
  • Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
  • Dr. Linda Burba
  • Paul Wennerholm, President and COO of Sonic Innovations
  • Christine Poorman, Executive Director of NFTE Chicago
  • Published by HT Syndication with permission from Daily Pak Banker.

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