Banquet a Huge Success Last Night!

Association Banquet: Saturday evening, June 14, 2008

After a day of workshops and exhibits, people gathered for the banquet.  I’m just going to touch on some hightlights. Oh, and I got to be the emcee for the evening and had a blast. I never met a microphone I didn’t like.

• Board President Anne Pope passed the presidential gavel to new Board President Michael Stone, son of Founder Rocky Stone.
• Dan Simmons of Lowell, MA, received the Rocky Stone Humanitarian Award. Ahme Stone presented the award. Dan’s service on the SHHH Board and his work on advocating for access in the classroom is unparalled. His daughter, Danielle, was the impetus for his involvement. Born hard of hearing, she is now a Suffolk University law graduate and works for one of the top firms in Boston.  Dan turned the MA public school system upside down with his advocacy work on behalf of children who are hard of hearing.
• Sue Miller, member from New York, reported on funds raised during the convenetion for the Annual Fund and the Rocky Stone Endowment Fund.
• Dinner was delish! Chicken stuffed with Boursin cheese, fresh steamed veggies, salad, mashed potatoes and a yummy apple strudel dessert. (Thanks to Nancy Macklin back in the HLAA national office for this culinary choice!)
• The entertainment was “Frank and Dean” (Sinatra and Martin). The audience sang along, danced and had a blast.  You know, they really did look and sound like Frank and Dean. The lyrics to the songs were captioned, sign language interpreted and, of course, hearing assistive technology. Thanks to Verizon for sponsoring the communication access at this event.
• Next year’s convention is in Nashville, June 18-21. Jennifer Thorpe and Debbie Devone came to the podium to welcome all and reminded us that the country music festival takes place in Nashville the week before the HLAA Convention, so bring your families and make it a vacation.

Okay, folks, I’m outa here! I’ll be flying back to the Washington, DC, area today. I will come back on soon when I get photos from last night’s banquet. Give me a few days to wrap it up. Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting.

I hope these entries whet your appetite and you’ll join us next year in Nashville. And, join HLAA and receive the Hearing Loss Magazine.

Regards from Reno,

Barbara Kelley, deputy executive director, editor of Hearing Loss Magazine.

The Hearing Loss Association of America is based in Bethesda, MD, and the nation’s leading consumer organization for people with hearing loss, their families and friends. Visit www.hearingloss.org to find out more about programs and services.