Dear friend, Imagine living a life without sound.

You are unable to hear neither the gentle sound of rain falling, the unique calls of birds singling nor are you able to hear a quiet whisper from a loved one. Moments in life that are missed because of a hearing impairment A life without sound was my reality before encountering VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children. I was born with a profound hearing loss and received my first set of hearing aids at age 1 years old. And 25 years later I am still wearing hearing aids but much has changed in between. To start, I was enrolled into VOICEs Audio-Verbal Therapy Program from a young age and it is within this safe environment that I learned how to listen despite being hearing impaired. Listen for sounds that many people take for granted on a daily basis and thus I am forever grateful to the support program my family and I received through VOICE. Fast forward, and today I am currently obtaining my Bachelor of Commerce at University of Guelph. None of which would have been possible without my solid foundation and the skills that I gained at VOICE. Despite the many wonderful opportunities that I have received through VOICE, I have great sadness that many other hearing impaired children and their families may not receive the same opportunities in life as monetary donations needed to run the organization are limited. VOICE needs our financial help. As an Alumni Representative on the Board of Directors, I am humbled to inform you that our organization has insufficient funds and we may have to cancel many VOICE programs and services including the beloved VOICE Summer camp; a camp where hearing impaired children and their families can connect and listen to each other on many different levels. We may also have to limit our ability to offer children with Auditory-Verbal Therapy . Imagine that with only a few dollars, you can help a child listen to the rain. Your financial donation to VOICE can send children to camp and help to provide Auditory-Verbal Therapy to hearing impaired children whose parents cannot afford to pay. Please consider making a donation.and help give the gift of sound. If you wish to donate, please consider the following options: ONLINE: http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?charityID=s37293 PHONE: You may call VOICE at 416-487-7719. MAIL: VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children; 161 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 704; Toronto, ON; M4P 1J5 Thank you for your generosity and understanding. Matthew Wren, Alumni Representative matthew_wren@hotmail.com