JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you’re ready to run for a good cause and earn a sweet treat, you’re in luck because the Clarke Ice Cream Run is Saturday morning.
All of the money raised from the event will support the work happening at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
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Clarke helps children who are hard of hearing or deaf to listen and speak.
According to the mission statement on their website, Clarke uses advanced technology, which includes cochlear implants and hearing aids to maximize their access to sound.
The best part is that all services are free.
All of the children have profound hearing loss so they have to use hearing aids, but it doesn’t stop them from having fun and enjoying life.
Clarke teaches auditory, speech, and language skills so kids can catch up to their peers and enter traditional schools as early as preschool.
Alisa Demico, Director of Clarke Florida, worked at Clarke for 27 years.
When asked about the eureka moment for a child, Demico said that it’s amazing for the parents and staff to see the kids say their first words and hear some of their first sounds.
“Ears are the doorway to the brain, and we’re giving these kids access and the meaning,” Demico said.
Being able to hear sounds and words is crucial when learning how to speak and understand language. It’s the building block for learning. People with hearing loss miss out on these sounds.
These kids have cochlear implants or other types of hearing aids so that they can hear, and these types of interventions connect meaning to sound.
Clarke wants to help families on the journey and provide life-changing experiences for students with hearing loss.
Their educators begin working with families dealing with children who are deaf, from birth to first grade.
Clarke believes that “there is no single approach that is right for every child.”
They offer full days of classes, home visits, after-school programs, and half days for toddlers.
The school has been there for 29 years and its first preschool class happened 28 years ago.
The school teaches families how to communicate and use strategies at home, so that they can start having regular conversations.
With the help of Clarke, the kindergarteners will be ready to attend traditional school soon, with all the tools they need.
The annual Clarke Ice Cream Run starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the St. Johns Town Center.
There’s a timed 5K and 1-mile walk/run.
At the finish line, participants will be rewarded with a Marble Slab Creamery treat and a Great American Cookie ice cream Doozie.
When
March 22 at 7:30 a.m. (vendor area opens at 6:30 a.m.)
Where
St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, FL
5K
Fun Run
If you want to sign up or learn more information click here.