Savannah Speech and Hearing Center has been awarded grants from The Savannah Community Foundation to use within Sound Start and from The Savannah Community Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Community Fund to use within the Speech-Language Pathology program to purchase current assessment materials to enable successful speech therapy for all ages. 

Sound Start’s mission is to teach children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen, speak and understand spoken language so they may be successful in a mainstream educational setting. With improvements in the technology of digital hearing aids and cochlear implants, deaf children now have access to speech as never before. To use this technology to its greatest potential, early intervention is critical to ensure success. Sound Start is the only program of its kind in our coastal region. 

The Speech-Language Pathology program offers comprehensive services that can help improve nearly all aspects of communication, as well as cognition, feeding, oral-motor development, and the overall quality of life for individuals of all ages. Speech therapy must begin with a detailed and accurate assessment, enabling therapists to confirm an individual patient's strengths and weaknesses that need improvement through therapy. This grant will help the Savannah Speech and Hearing Center (SSHC) to maintain an adequate number of current assessments to serve our Savannah, Pooler and school locations. 

The Savannah Community Foundation is an umbrella philanthropic organization through which individuals, families, businesses, and charities support the well-being of our community. Its Emerging Leaders Committee is comprised of about 35 young professionals sponsored by their employers who meet twice a year to learn about charitable needs in our area.  The ELC evaluates responses to the Foundation’s Request for ELC Proposals issued in the Spring and Fall of each year and distributes approximately $12,000 each cycle to local charities.