This March, Selena Snowden and a group of undergraduate Communication Science and Disorders students will travel to Guatemala for the second Help Guatemala Hear mission trip. The team will provide much-needed hearing services and hearing aids to the country’s impoverished communities where this kind of assistance is severely needed. The group will serve through Porch de Solomon, an outreach organization that builds small concrete homes for families and provides free village medical clinics.

Snowden shares, “The Help Guatemala Hear mission trip has enlarged my heart and deepened my compassion for those in need. I can’t wait to share my joy and love for helping others with our students again this year! Through their work with these indigenous families in Guatemala, students gain a sense of purpose and broaden their perspective. By stepping out of their comfort zone, students feel empowered and see what they are capable of. The trip builds compassion that they will carry with them throughout their clinical careers.”

The Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) has helped fundraise for the mission trip and has raised enough money to sponsor the education for one hearing-impaired child in Guatemala for one year. They plan to continue that sponsorship annually.

SAA’s help is greatly appreciated, as the entire trip is funded solely through donations. All equipment, including audiology supplies, hearing aids, hearing aid batteries, etc. must be purchased and must travel with the team to Guatemala. All money donated will be used to directly benefit the individuals with hearing loss in Guatemala.

To read about last year’s Help Guatemala Hear mission trip, click here. In addition, to learn more about the School of Communication Science & Disorders program at FSU, follow this link.