The Step n' for Caleb team strolls down the scenic Riverwalk during the 2012 Walk4Hearing
The 5th annual Walk4Hearing will be held Saturday on the Chattanooga State main campus and along the scenic Riverwalk. Registration and activities begin at 9 a.m., while the actual walk opens at 10 a.m.
Activities include Chattanooga Kids on the Block, MosNooga Squad (Star Wars enthusiasts), face painting, Zumba warm up with Heidi Cawood, bounce house, games, vendors, exhibits, free food and more.
Online registration continues this week at www.walk4hearing.org, but walkers may join in the fun and just show up to participate on Saturday morning.
There is no fee to walk, but donations are gladly accepted.
The Hearing Loss Association of America’s Walk4Hearing is the largest walk for hearing in the country. Every May in Chattanooga - children and their families, young adults, young at heart, and everyone in between - form teams and walk to increase public awareness about hearing loss, help eradicate the stigma associated with it and raise funds for programs and services. Fully accessible, volunteers provide real-time captioning and sign language interpreters during the event. More than 50 volunteers assist in making the Chattanooga Walk4Hearing a success.
In four years, the Chattanooga Walk4Hearing has raised more than $100,000. The goal in 2013 is $30,000 and they are currently seeking sponsors; walkers; and qualifying non-profit organizations such as local schools, hospitals, hearing health-care-related groups or houses of worship to form alliance teams enabling them to keep 40 percent of what they earn as a team to serve the needs of people with hearing loss within their own organization. Information and forms about local sponsorship or alliance teams can be found on the Chattanooga HLAA website www.hearingchattanooga.org.
Johnson Audiology team members show off their newly painted faces