Baton Rouge – The Emerge Center is giving away a free pair of hearing aids to two people in need through its 'Gift of Hearing' contest.

Emerge released the following statement, 

"Imagine a world filled with silence, being unable to share a laugh or conversations with family and friends. 

This is hearing loss - a silent disability that affects more than 31.5 million people each year in the United States. 

Often times, the ability to experience better hearing is financially out of reach for some people in our community."

Nicole Stockstill, the Lead Audiologist at The Emerge Center, spoke about the free offer, saying, “In the true spirit of our continued mission to provide hearing to those in need, I am so excited that we are able to offer this opportunity to significantly change the life of someone isolated by their hearing loss.” 

“I am honored to be on the Emerge team where we get to give back to our community through our time and talents.”

To participate in the Gift of Hearing contest, individuals must submit an essay of 400 words or less describing why they or someone they know would benefit from receiving a pair of hearing aids. 

The two winners will be selected based on the following criteria:

-Hearing Need

-Financial Need

-Opportunity to impact recipient's life

-Opportunity to impact the lives of people with whom they interact

Click here to submit an essay. 

All individuals ages 21 and older are eligible and submissions will be accepted through February 28. A winner will be notified by March 16.