Archives for November 16, 2017

Tickets to our prescreening of the film Wonder on November 15th, 2017 for Ear Community.

On Wednesday, November 15th, 2017, at 6pm in Broomfield, Colorado, the Ear Community Organization was fortunate to bring families and their children together from a local elementary school to view the prescreening of the movie, “Wonder.”  Thanks to an anonymous donor, Ear Community was given the opportunity to buyout two theaters for families with children that have Microtia and Atresia or who are deaf or hard of hearing.  The Founder and Executive Director of Ear Community, Melissa Tumblin, discussed with families about choosing kindness and accepting differences.  Tumblin talked about Microtia (little or missing ears) and Atresia (hearing loss due to underdeveloped ear canals) and facial challenges.  Tumblin explained that “the next time you see a child or an adult in public who is missing one or both ears or who has facial challenges, to just consider saying “hi” and helping make their day rather than staring or questioning.  While it is always okay to have curiosity, it is also great to make these beautiful individuals also feel the same and accepted, not different…..to “choose kind.”

The funds from the anonymous donor helped buyout 200+ seats in two theaters at the Flatirons AMC Theater in Broomfield, Colorado, including providing a snack pack (popcorn, soda, and gummy treat) for each child and their families.  Ear Community requested that both films offer open captioning on the screens and made sure that the children and adults who needed assistive hearing technology had it available through the theater.  Ear Community was happy to raise awareness about Microtia and Atresia as the organization recently celebrated it’s second annual National Microtia Awareness Day on November 9th.  Tumblin said, that “We had a wonderful time and the movie was amazing!  Anyone will enjoy the film and to remember that kindness goes a long way, especially when it comes to children.”  Ear Community is an anti-bullying organization and prides itself on being able to bring children and adults together, who have Microtia and Atresia, along with their families, so they can be educated on their options and so they know that they are not alone.  Ear Community has been able to provide a close-knit community for Microtia and Atresia children and adults since 2011 through it’s seven online support groups and website.

Thank you again to our anonymous donor and for thinking of the families through Ear Community.  Words can not express the kindness that can sometimes come from the general public.  In this case, our donor helped bring children and adults together, along with school teachers, and helped educate and raise awareness.  Thank you so very much!  Last night was a memorable event for so many and all of the children enjoyed seeing the movie “Wonder.”  This opportunity for these families not only reminded everyone of what we all have going on in life, but this was also an amazing way to spread kindness and acceptance during this time of year and to remind us that while so many children and adults who have challenges in life, they really just want to be accepted and treated how you would like to be treated.  This anonymous donation to the organization was a true gift for so many.  Thank you and we will always remember “Wonder” and our special night.  Thank you to the families who joined us last night!

Ear Community, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is one of the many nonprofits throughput the United States that was given the chance to participate through Lionsgate Productions in a theater buyout event to view “Wonder.”  We are so thankful!

Here are some amazing memories from our special event:

Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

On Tuesday, November 14th, 2017, Ear Community was one of nearly 40 foundations and advocates from all over the country who joined together for the 1st Kids First Patient User Workshop meeting at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health.  Representatives from the attending nonprofits shared their thoughts and ideas on how the research community and advocates can collaboratively join together to help meet the needs of pediatric patients diagnosed with structural birth defects or cancer find the much sought after information they search for online or publicly when diagnosed.  Those who attended, contributed ideas and suggestions for the development of a new website and data portal, which will enable patients to collaborate with researchers to find cures for rare disease types, know if clinical trials are available and when, and find the latest information pertaining to a vast variety of causes.

Melissa Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director of Ear Community, was one of the many representatives who spent time with researchers in hopes of helping provide information in regards to the latest on Microtia and Atresia.  This flag ship program also hopes to create a sense of community where patients and researchers can go to find helpful resources, such as the many nonprofits like Ear Community, helping diagnosed individuals and their families, along with organizations connect.   In addition to the continuous efforts that Ear Community makes toward bringing awareness to the public about Microtia and Atresia, Ear Community looks forward to being one of the many reputable nonprofit organizations listed as a helpful public resource for families and researchers.