The H.I.K.E. (Hearing Improvement Kids Equipment) Fund (Canada) is dedicated to providing financial assistance to families and children in need across Canada to help purchase hearing assistive technology including hearing aids, DM systems, and cochlear implant processors. Our mission is to help kids achieve equal access in all areas of life. The H.I.K.E. Fund (Canada) was established in 1990 as a fundraising initiative for Job’s Daughters International (https://jobsdaughtersinternational.org/) We are run entirely by volunteers and keep our operating costs as low as possible to provide more funding for kids in need.

As a national non-profit organization, funding requests vary by province. Grant requests can range from $500 – $7000+. Hearing loss is considered a low incidence disability affecting less than 1% of the population, but the vastness of its impact on a child’s educational, social, psychological well being and development cannot be overstated. Hearing loss can result in receptive and expressive language delays resulting in reduced academic achievement as well as communication difficulties, which can often lead to social isolation and poor self-image. Vocabulary development occurs at a much slower rate in children with hearing loss. Children with hearing loss develop 50% less vocabulary than their peers with typical hearing. The earlier consistent equipment usage can be established in young children diagnosed with hearing loss, the better the educational outcomes. Properly functioning hearing equipment is a child’s quickest way to access, but also comes with a large financial strain for some families. A pair of new hearing aids can cost a family upwards of $5000. Children with hearing loss also benefit from a DM system, a $500 device which transmits a teacher’s voice directly into their hearing devices which helps to decrease the effects of background noise and distance from the speaker.

The families applying for grants through H.I.K.E. Fund (Canada) are from all walks of life, including but not limited to single parents, families on disability, those who have recently been laid off and those who are new to the country. Many of these families state that without access to funding, their child(ren) will need to go without much needed hearing assistive technology because of the financial strain it will place on the family.

With an annual operating budget of approximately $20,000 and the uncertainty of funding sources, we have clearly stated on our website (www.hikefundcanda.org) and application form that we may only be able to offer a family a portion of their grant request. Our increased visibility on social media platforms have also resulted in increased numbers of grant applications. We are kindly requesting additional funding through generous donors like you so we can continue to help kids hear the world.