HEAR Center Pasadena open house Nov. 10

Dr. Ciwa Griffiths – a pioneer in the testing, training and treatment of hearing impaired children – died in 2003. But Ellen Simon, Executive Director of the HEAR Center, which Griffiths founded in 1954, has no doubt that the doctor would approve of holding a celebration of her 100th birthday at a special Open House at the facility on Thursday, November 10, at 4 p.m.



“Dr. Griffiths was actively involved at the HEAR Center until she passed away,” explains Simon, an audiologist who knew Griffiths well. “It was her baby and family and pretty much her life. I can’t think of a birthday present she would cherish more than for us to invite the public to learn more about the HEAR Center and the services it provides.”



Those who attend the Open House will have an opportunity to tour the facility, meet staff members and receive free screenings.



“Because hearing loss can occur at any age, we are equipped to serve clients at all stages of life,” says Simon. “In fact, we strongly recommend receiving a Hearing Screening once a year, whether you are a toddler or a senior citizen. We also offer free Speech-Language Screenings.”



The reduced ability to hear can lead to devastating isolation, Simon adds.



“Dr. Griffiths first saw this as a brand new teacher at a one room schoolhouse, and it turned out that one of her young students was deaf,” Simon recounts. “That encounter led to her lifelong passion – a passion all of us at the HEAR Center still share – to help those challenged by hearing loss to develop and maintain the communication skills they need to lead a normal life.”

Programs offered at the HEAR Center include: pediatric audiology; adult audiology; audiological assessment; and amplification (hearing aids).



“But, at the HEAR Center, we’re not all work and no fun,” Simon promises. “Dr. Griffiths loved a good party. We have games and lots of fun planned for the Open House. And, of course, we’ll have a cake – big enough to hold all those candles, although no light ever burned as brightly as Ciwa Griffiths.”



To learn more about the HEAR Center, its history, mission and the wide range of services it provides, visit www.hearcenter.org or call 626.796.2016.



The HEAR Center is located at 301 East Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena.



The HEAR Center, a non-profit organization since 1954, offers complete and affordable hearing and speech services and is dedicated to helping people at all stages of life be a part of the hearing and speaking world. It provides expertise, assistance, compassion and technology for all those with hearing loss or speech and language impairments as well as those who care for them.