Clarke’s Listening Walk at the Zoo is designed to be fun and educational for all while drawing attention to the fact that children who are deaf or hard of hearing can listen and talk.
More than 500 current and alum children and families, friends and volunteers, practiced their skills as they listened for the unique calls of animals from lions to flamingos!
Collectively, they helped raise more than $66,000 to benefit Clarke students, including the hundreds of families served by the Birth to Age Three Program, Preschool Program and Mainstream Services in Philadelphia.
Ashley Mahlstedt Weaver, director of Clarke Philadelphia, kicked off the event by asking children to wake the animals up with a “ROAR!”
“We look forward to this event every year! It’s a fantastic opportunity for our Clarke community — current students, alums and their friends and families — to come together and celebrate with each other,” said Ashley. “It’s always rewarding to see our students using their listening and speech skills as they talk and laugh together and enjoy a great day at the zoo.”
“We are grateful for the incredible support we receive from the community,” Ashley said.
We also are grateful to our event sponsors, Angel Ticket Sponsor, Teddy’s Tigers, Snack Sponsor, Constellation and to our volunteers, especially the Limerick ABLE and PECO ENABLED crews.
