St. Pete Woman's Story Leads To Determination To Share Sounds Of Joy

TAMPA BAY, FL — At the age of 11, Christy Vogel was told two things: that she was hearing impaired (probably since birth) and that she had taught herself how to read lips without realizing it.

“I didn’t get hearing aids because we couldn’t afford them. And, because I had to otherwise figure out what people were saying, many assumed I was slow or stupid,” Vogel, of St. Pete, said. “When I finally could afford hearing aids — when I was in my 20s — it changed my world.”

She feels that she was supposed to be born hearing impaired and unable to afford hearing aids so that she could eventually help others.

And with the formation of her new nonprofit, Sounding Joy, Vogel is doing just that.

She formed the Tampa Bay charity to provide hearing aids to local children whose families can’t afford them. Sounding Joy hosted its inaugural fundraiser this month, surpassing all her hopes.

The Sounding Joy HEAROS Golf Tournament took place on Nov. 12, at Tampa’s Westchase Golf Club. The scramble golf tournament featured a hole-in-one grand prize valued at $35,000 and notable guest speakers such as Hillsborough County School Board Chairwoman Nadia Combs, raffle sales and lunch.

More than 75 golfers showed up to play, 19 sponsors supported the event and more than 20 people and businesses made in-kind donations. That, combined with contributions from more than 35 private donors, led to an inaugural fundraising event that raised almost $65,000, which exceeded all Vogel's expectations.

As a result, Sounding Joy will be able to provide more than two dozen hearing aids to local children in need.

“I was beyond ecstatic when I added everything up,” said Vogel, who serves as chairwoman as well as founder of Sounding Joy. “I set our fundraising goal to match that of another well-established nonprofit, not considering that we’re a start-up and have yet to build awareness. I am incredibly proud of our team and can’t wait to begin providing much-needed hearing aids to local children.”

Sounding Joy partners with audiologists in the Hillsborough and Pinellas County school systems to identify those children with the most need.

"Hillsborough County Public Schools provides the most support for deaf and hard of hearing students in the state of Florida,” said Combs. “We have hundreds of students who are in need of hearing aids and do not have the financial ability to afford them. Sounding Joy is changing lives by providing these children with hearing aids and an opportunity to reach their fullest potential."

Three in 1,000 children are born with hearing impairment in one or both ears. Due to the isolation hearing-loss causes, hearing-impaired children without a hearing aid are twice as likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Untreated hearing loss is linked to other health conditions such as dementia, depression, high blood pressure and increased risk of trips and falls. Untreated hearing loss even reduces earning potential by $12,000 to $30,000 annually.

Most major insurance policies do not cover hearing aids.

Vogel attributes the success of her first fundraiser to the sponsors.

Tournament sponsors included Pinnacle Home Care, Nitesh and Erin Sapra, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Marketing Direction, I Fix Hearts, 50 Plus Health, The Alaka’I Leadership Group, Appliance Repair Specialists, First Citrus Bank, GenCo Legal, Loricca, Dr. Joshual Mitchell, Tampa Children’s ENT, Dr. John L. Redd II Dentistry, Remarkable Reasons, Rivero, Gordimer & Company, Sharon Docherty Danco PLLC, Thompson Marketing Partners, Traci Tucker and a sponsor in honor of Tom Valenti. Click here for a full list of donors and sponsors.

Sounding Joy is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. All donations are fully tax-deductible. For more information, click here, email info@SoundingJoy.org or call 813-526-1870.