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Black Tie
International:
So The World May
Hear Gala
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Michael Johns,
K’NAAN, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Chevy Chase, Norm
Crosby, Tani Austin, President Bill Clinton, Bill Austin,
Billy Crystal, Forest Whitaker,
Billy Ray Cyrus, Glenn Frey and Okello Sam |
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So The World May Hear Gala |
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ST. PAUL, MN (August 6, 2012) –
On Saturday, August 4, 2012,
Starkey Hearing Foundation,
whose mission – So the World
May Hear – brings greater
understanding among people
through hearing care, raised
more than $7.6 million during
its annual So the World May
Hear Awards Gala. The
event, which drew dozens of
celebrity and VIP supporters,
raised the most money of any
gala since the event began in
2001.
Held at the Saint Paul
RiverCentre in St. Paul, MN, and
sponsored by Rayovac, the 12th
So the World May Hear
Awards Gala began in the
afternoon with red carpet
arrivals that included program
presenters, honorees, performers
and guests. Gala attendees
included:
Presenters:
President Bill Clinton,
Forest Whitaker,
Chevy Chase, Norm
Crosby, Christopher Massey,
Kyle Massey
Honorees:
Actress Maria Bello; Sister
Rosemary Nyirumbe of St.
Monica’s School, Uganda;
Philanthropists Glenn and Mindy
Stearns, and former CHS CEO John
Johnson
Performers:
Glenn Frey, Billy Ray Cyrus,
K’NAAN, Steve Martin & the Steep
Canyon Rangers, Jackie Evancho
and Michael Johns
Guests: Sports –
John Calipari, Tony Hawk,
Pedro Martinez, Sammy Sosa,
Rollie Fingers, Roland Hemond,
Cole Aldrich, Matt Harpring,
Mark Clayton, Ed “Too Tall”
Jones, Jerome McDougle, Stockar
McDougle, Josh Harding, Shjon
Podein. Actors - Marlee
Matlin, Paul Johansson, Chris
McDonald, Kate Maberly, Vicki
Rowell, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin
Sorbo, Verne Troyer, Gary Busey,
Shannon Elizabeth, Quinton
Aaron. Entertainers -
Gabe Saporta, Paul Williams.
World Poker Champions -
Michelle Lau, Jerry Yang.
CNN Hero – Tad Agoglia,
Astronauts - Buzz Aldrin
and Scott
Carpenter.
Robin Williams
and Billy Crystal
also appeared, treating
guests to an on-stage reunion
with the pair serving as
auctioneers during the evening’s
live auction. The two drew a
shared $130,000 bid from MLB
stars Sammy Sosa and Pedro
Martinez for a Glenn
Frey-autographed guitar.
Upcoming Starkey hearing
missions to Ethiopia,
Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
Kenya, Egypt and Mexico also
went up for auction.
The evening’s honorees included
Maria Bello, for her tireless
work in Haiti as part of her
foundation, WE ADVANCE;
and Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe,
whose St. Monica’s School in
Uganda helps to rehabilitate
girls and young women victimized
under Joseph Kony and his Lord’s
Resistance Army. Both received a
rousing applause and standing
ovation, with Bello surprising
the crowd when she ran to the
stage to join Sr. Rosemary and
make a $5,000 offer for one of
the aluminum pop-top handbags
designed by her students at St.
Monica’s School. The gesture
motivated others in the room to
follow suit, raising more than
$30,000 for the school.
As a member of Clinton Global
Initiative, Starkey Hearing
Foundation has pledged to give
more than 1,000,000 hearing aids
to those in need during this
decade. To demonstrate the
instant miracle of hearing that
takes place when a child hears
his or her mother’s voice for
the first time after being
fitted with a hearing aid, the
Foundation presented video
highlights of hearing missions
conducted during 2012 throughout
the evening. These included
visits to El Salvador and the
Dominican Republic. Another
video showcased the launch of
the Listen Carefully program in
May. The campaign was rolled out
to schools in partnership with
Scholastic, Inc. and seeks to
promote hearing health education
nationwide among young people.
Another memorable moment came
with the announcement by Starkey
Hearing Foundation Executive
Director, Steven Sawalich of
“Operation Change,” a new docu-series
chronicling the Foundation’s
missions and efforts to use
hearing as a vehicle for peace
and understanding and to build
partnerships around the world to
change lives– one individual at
a time.
Attended by nearly 1,500 people,
the 2012 So The World May
Hear Awards Gala raised a
record-breaking $7.6 million
through ticket sales,
sponsorships, donations, and the
live and silent auctions. All of
the funds will be used to allow
Starkey Hearing Foundation to
continue its work in promoting
hearing health and awareness,
including holding domestic and
international hearing missions
over the coming year, and
furthering its Listen
Carefully program to
promote safe listening among
young people.
About Starkey
Hearing Foundation
Starkey
Hearing Foundation is bringing
understanding among individuals
and communities through hearing
care by focusing on awareness,
education, protection and
treatment – so the world may
hear. Hearing loss affects one
in 10 Americans, and 63 million
children worldwide, yet many do
not have access to the hearing
devices that can help
them. Starkey Hearing Foundation
fits and gives more than 100,000
hearing aids annually, and as a
member of President Clinton’s
Global Initiative, it has
pledged to fit 1 million hearing
aids this decade. In addition to
giving the gift of hearing
through worldwide hearing
missions, Starkey Hearing
Foundation promotes hearing
health awareness and education
through the Listen Carefully
initiative and provides hearing
instruments to low-income
Americans through the Hear Now
program. For more information on
Starkey Hearing Foundation,
visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.
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