Walk4Hearing Heroes Help HLAA Bring Hope – Team Adeline

The HLAA Walk4Hearing is held in 21 cities across the country, raising awareness and bringing hope to people with hearing loss. Since 2006, more than 365 Walks have raised $20 million for national and local programs, welcomed 123,000 participants and shown countless people with hearing loss that they are not alone.

We just launched the first spring Walks of the 2024 season this past weekend, May 18 and 19, and over the next month, we’re spotlighting three heroic teams whose long-time participation have helped HLAA bring hope to millions. Join us as a participant, volunteer or donor!

In this blog series, we’re spotlighting three heroic teams whose long-time participation have helped HLAA bring hope to millions. Here is the second; read the first blog about Team Adeline.

Adeline Yankowski’s Team Raises $36K in 10 Years 

Positive Steps with Friends and Family

For the past 10 years, Adeline Yankoski’s parents have gathered her friends and family members to form Team Adeline for the HLAA New Jersey Walk4Hearing. The team walks to help educate people about hearing loss, while supporting and empowering those who are just like she is. Team Adeline’s mission includes helping 11-year-old Adeline remember that she can do anything she wants to do, with her power-pink hearing aids.

Team Adeline, one of the longest-running teams, has participated in Walk4Hearing events since 2014. The team is also a top fundraiser, generating $36,000 over ten years.

When the annual Walk4Hearing went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, Adeline’s family decided to organize their own walk at the beach. Team Adeline’s members range in age from two to 80-plus, and the team now does two walks each year. One is organized the day before HLAA’s walk takes place, and the other is held on the Walk’s official date in Mercer County Park, New Jersey.

Rockin’ My Hot Pink Hearing Aids!

“I like to dance, play soccer and surf—I just bought my surfboard this summer after saving up for two years. I wear hot pink hearing aids and rock them!

“We have walked more than 90,000 steps over the past nine years with Walk4Hearing! We get to see, meet, walk with and help kids just like me. I love walking with my friends and family. Last year, we had more than 30 people on Team Adeline, including my two best friends. My message to kids like me is, ‘Keep being yourself and hang loose!’

“I always love to hear kids ask me, ‘What are those things in your ears?’ I say the same thing every time: ‘They help me hear better.’ I’ve had a lot of practice. I always get uncomfortable when kids stare at me, but when they do, I just smile, wave and tell myself, ‘It’s OK. Everyone is different.’”

The next New Jersey Walk4Hearing will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

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