Opera in the Park Charity Announcement

December 11, 2009
News Release
EMBARGOED UNTIL SATURDAY DECEMBER 12, 2009

Opera in the Park Charity Announcement

BioPaints, the principal sponsors of Nelson’s Opera in the Park 2010, are pleased to announce the charity to benefit from a charities collection at Opera in the Park at Tahunanui on February 13, 2010 will be The Hearing Association Nelson.

The Hearing Association Nelson provides support, independent advice and hearing aid services to anyone affected by hearing loss in the Nelson and Tasman regions. The Association has a small staff of 7 which includes four field workers. They have hearing aid clinics in Nelson, Stoke and a new one in Motueka.

Hearing Association Nelson Manager Ana Parkes says they were over the moon to find out they’d been selected as they’ve never been the recipient of a big event charity collection before.

“To say we were thrilled is an understatement. We still can’t quite believe what a generous opportunity we’ve been given to raise much needed funds and increase awareness about hearing loss, particularly as the demand for our services has really skyrocketed over the past few years. Our membership is at over 660 at the moment and showing no signs of decreasing.”

The Hearing Association Nelson is a registered charity which doesn’t receive any government funding. Last year their costs were $175,000 and they had a shortfall of $4,000. Their income of $171,000, came from a combination of member subscriptions of up to $25 person, various grants and donations, some income from sales of hearing aid batteries and amplified telephones and some rental income from rooms in the Hearing Association building.

“It’s pretty tight for us and we struggle to keep in the black. We also don’t have extra funds for equipment such as a new hearing aid cleaning machine, a laptop and a data projector for our education in the community programmes. So we’re incredibly grateful for this chance and any money raised through Opera in the Park will go towards these three key items for us, “ says Ana Parkes.

BioPaints Business Manager Kathryn Barlow says selecting the charity was a tough job as everyone was so worthwhile.

“We had over 30 applications in the end and each one of the organisations is doing great things for our region, but we could only pick one. The Hearing Association covers all sectors of our community as hearing loss is a problem across all age groups, with 1 in ten New Zealanders affected by it and we hope that their association with Opera in the Park will enable them to promote prevention of hearing loss as well as their caring services.”

Ana Parkes says the Opera in the Park event will be a fantastic opportunity to increase awareness about hearing loss.

“Hearing loss is not just about older people. A sad fact is that for some people their hearing loss is a result of having listened to too much loud music when they were younger and now, even with the excellent hearing aids available today, their ability to hear music clearly is diminished.

“I’m one of those people who listened to loud music when I was young and permanently damaged my hearing. No-one told me what could happen and I didn’t realise that ringing in my ears after a concert was evidence of hearing damage. If we can teach young people the art of safe listening we can hopefully make a real difference.”

Donations will be able to be given in the charity tins at ticket pick up points including the Nelson City Council, Hearing House and BioPaints prior to the event. On the night, there will not be buckets passed around, instead there will be large static bins provided by the entry/exits where concert-goers can make their donations. Hearing Association Nelson volunteers will also be there to welcome the audience at the entry gates.

BioPaints Kathyrn Barlow says because BioPaints is covering the cost of tickets so that entry, with a ticket, is free, they’re hoping the donations to the Hearing Association Nelson will be generous.

“This is a truly local charity. We hope there are lots of chances for the Hearing Association Nelson to raise the profile of hearing loss and particularly help young people learn to listen to music safely,” she says.

Nelson Opera in the Park tickets will be available from The Hearing Association next week.

ends

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