Thanks to the ISHA and NSSLHA Chapters of St. Ambrose, UNI, & University of Iowa!

In order to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month in May, ISHA and NSSLHA collaborated on a fundraiser to support GiGi’s Playhouse! The three NSSLHA chapters in Iowa, St. Ambrose, University of Northern Iowa, and University of Iowa, had a friendly competition to raise money and items for GiGi’s Playhouse. The students at University of Iowa raised $235.09 and 111 items. The students at University of Northern Iowa raised $650 and two large bins of donations.. And lastly, the stellar students at St. Ambrose raised a whopping $1,693 and an additional $45 worth of items to donate. This was the first spring fundraiser in which ISHA collaborated with the students in the speech language pathology and audiology programs in Iowa.

The University of Iowa’s NSSLHA president, Sarah Labaz, described their fundraising efforts.

To raise money for GiGi’s Playhouse we teamed up with the on campus organization REACH. REACH is a program that allows students with disabilities to attend the University of Iowa to earn a certificate. REACH students and staff helped publicize the event throughout the College of Education. Within the department, coin jars and boxes for material items were set out throughout the month of April. We posted fliers and sent out emails with recent stories of GiGi’s Playhouse to increase awareness of the cause. At our monthly NSSLHA meeting we hosted a large 50/50 raffle in efforts to raise even more. Lastly, we partnered with Yotopia frozen yogurt in Iowa City to have a fundraiser. We posted signs about GiGi’s around Yotopia, and REACH and NSSLHA enjoyed frozen yogurt to socialize and raise even more money!

Bethany Fischer, a member of the UNI NSSLHA chapter, commented on the experience.

The UNI NSSLHA chapter put in a strong effort for GiGi’s Playhouse, raising $650 dollars and filling two large tubs with donations. Students happily donated money to wear jeans in the clinic and show their support. NSSLHA also hosted a raffle at the Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders to help raise both funds and awareness. Both students, clients, and staff got involved in the effort, with professors taking time out of their class to show a slideshow that encouraged student participation, and clients bringing in donations to put in the bins. It was a great effort and GiGi’s deserved it all! GO PANTHERS! 

St. Ambrose’s NSSLHA president, Camille Ponce, shared how their chapter supported GiGi’s Playhouse.

On Friday, April 5th, the members of the Davenport Scottish Rite Valley and St. Ambrose University NSSLHA hosted a Trivia Night fundraiser that benefited the local GiGi’s Playhouse in Moline, Illinois. Each trivia team consisted of eight members with the cost being $10 per team member. The event had an excellent turnout with a total of 12 teams. With generous donations from the participants, the event raised a total of $1,693. Throughout the weeks leading up to the event, a collection box in the speech clinic was available for donations for the GiGi’s Playhouse Wish List. From the box, $45 worth of items were received. We were able to support our local GiGi’s Playhouse center as part of National Hearing and Speech Month in May.

The students from all three chapters were able to demonstrate leadership in the field and begin their young careers by raising awareness of communication disorders within their respective communities. Overall, this project was a huge success. By connecting the state association with NSSLHA, educating and creating positive relationships within the community, raising nearly $3,000 in donations for a worthy cause, and supporting Down syndrome awareness, truly exemplifies the spirit of ASHA’s Better Hearing and Speech Month in May.