Donate to the
First Response Fund
Your donation is secure and protected. See our
privacy collection statement for more info.
This year, over 250 Australian children will be diagnosed with hearing loss and some will be left waiting up to 12 weeks for government funding for the specialist support they need. But for a child's rapidly developing brain learning to listen and speak, every day matters.
That's where The Shepherd Centre's First Response Fund steps in – providing the wraparound audiology, listening & spoken language therapy and counselling that helps deaf kids to listen, speak and thrive. With your support, our First Response Fund will be waiting for every family reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, providing personalised support from day one.
Thanks to our generous matching partners, the first $100,000 in donations to our First Response Fund this month will be matched dollar for dollar - meaning your gift will go twice as far for deaf children and their families.
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Huxley & Cali's story
"Without hearing aids, your child won't learn how to talk."
Those words stopped Tasha's world completely. Her newborn son Huxley had just been diagnosed with severe hearing loss. Like 90% of parents who receive this diagnosis, Tasha had no experience with deafness. No idea where to turn.
Then came the heartbreaking discovery: the support Huxley needed could take up to 12 weeks to be approved for NDIS funding. Twelve weeks. For a baby whose brain was rapidly developing, there was no time to waste. With the support of The Shepherd Centre, Huxley and his parents received the wraparound audiology, speech pathology and counselling support they needed, regardless of funding approvals.
Two years later, Tasha faced the same news with her second son, Cali, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. But this time, thanks to the generosity of people like you, The Shepherd Centre was there from day one.
Today, both boys are thriving. Huxley forms complete sentences and asks endless questions. Cali is hitting developmental milestones alongside his hearing peers. "It's been absolutely life changing," says Tasha. "Without The Shepherd Centre, our lives would be a lot different."
You can ensure that no family waits for this support. Donations to The First Response Fund will be matched dollar for dollar this month - but only while funds last.
The impact of your donation
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$100,000 of donations will be matched thanks to our generous partners
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About The Shepherd Centre
The Shepherd Centre is a not-for-profit organisation, providing specialised programs for children with hearing loss and their families. Our programs meet the needs of children of all ages; from our world-leading early intervention programs for babies and toddlers, through to our mentoring program, Hear for You, which supports school-aged children and teenagers.
We have been empowering generations of children with hearing loss to listen, speak and have a voice for over 50 years, creating a world of choice and amplifying possibility. We currently support over 900 families all over Australia, providing in-person and online support from 10 locations across NSW, ACT, Queensland and Tasmania. Our global platform HearHub, supports health professionals working with children with hearing loss all over the world.
Donate to the First Response Fund
Donate to the
First Response Fund
Your donation is secure and protected. See our
privacy collection statement for more info.
This year, over 250 Australian children will be diagnosed with hearing loss and some will be left waiting up to 12 weeks for government funding for the specialist support they need. But for a child's rapidly developing brain learning to listen and speak, every day matters.
That's where The Shepherd Centre's First Response Fund steps in – providing the wraparound audiology, listening & spoken language therapy and counselling that helps deaf kids to listen, speak and thrive. With your support, our First Response Fund will be waiting for every family reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, providing personalised support from day one.
Thanks to our generous matching partners, the first $100,000 in donations to our First Response Fund this month will be matched dollar for dollar - meaning your gift will go twice as far for deaf children and their families.
Days
00
:
Hours
00
:
Minutes
00
:
Seconds
00
Days
00
:
Hours
00
Minutes
00
:
Seconds
00
Huxley & Cali's story
"Without hearing aids, your child won't learn how to talk."
Those words stopped Tasha's world completely. Her newborn son Huxley had just been diagnosed with severe hearing loss. Like 90% of parents who receive this diagnosis, Tasha had no experience with deafness. No idea where to turn.
Then came the heartbreaking discovery: the support Huxley needed could take up to 12 weeks to be approved for NDIS funding. Twelve weeks. For a baby whose brain was rapidly developing, there was no time to waste. With the support of The Shepherd Centre, Huxley and his parents received the wraparound audiology, speech pathology and counselling support they needed, regardless of funding approvals.
Two years later, Tasha faced the same news with her second son, Cali, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. But this time, thanks to the generosity of people like you, The Shepherd Centre was there from day one.
Today, both boys are thriving. Huxley forms complete sentences and asks endless questions. Cali is hitting developmental milestones alongside his hearing peers. "It's been absolutely life changing," says Tasha. "Without The Shepherd Centre, our lives would be a lot different."
You can ensure that no family waits for this support. Donations to The First Response Fund will be matched dollar for dollar this month - but only while funds last.
Huxley & Cali's story
"Without hearing aids, your child won't learn how to talk."
Those words stopped Tasha's world completely. Her newborn son Huxley had just been diagnosed with severe hearing loss. Like 90% of parents who receive this diagnosis, Tasha had no experience with deafness. No idea where to turn.
Then came the heartbreaking discovery: the support Huxley needed could take up to 12 weeks to be approved for NDIS funding. Twelve weeks. For a baby whose brain was rapidly developing, there was no time to waste.
Two years later, Tasha faced the same devastating news with her second son, Cali, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. But this time, thanks to the generosity of people like you, The Shepherd Centre was there from day one.
Today, both boys are thriving. Huxley forms complete sentences and asks endless questions. Cali is hitting developmental milestones alongside his hearing peers. "It's been absolutely life changing," says Tasha. "Without The Shepherd Centre, our lives would be a lot different."
You can ensure that no family waits for this support. Donations to The First Response Fund will be matched dollar for dollar this month - but only while funds last.
The impact of your donation
$100,000 of donations will be matched thanks to our generous partners
About The Shepherd Centre
The Shepherd Centre is a not-for-profit organisation, providing specialised programs for children with hearing loss and their families. Our programs meet the needs of children of all ages; from our world-leading early intervention programs for babies and toddlers, through to our mentoring program, Hear for You, which supports school-aged children and teenagers.
We have been empowering generations of children with hearing loss to listen, speak and have a voice for over 50 years, creating a world of choice and amplifying possibility. We currently support over 900 families all over Australia, providing in-person and online support from 10 locations across NSW, ACT, Queensland and Tasmania. Our global platform HearHub, supports health professionals working with children with hearing loss all over the world.
