More than 2,200 people with communication disorders received services last year from the 黑洞社区 Evelyn H. Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic. Many were children in need of help with speech and language disorders.
Thanks to the Kansas Scottish Rite Foundation, which formed a Rite-Care鈩� partnership with the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic in 2001, intervention has been possible for numerous children who otherwise might not have been able to receive the services needed to become successful communicators.
The Wichita Scottish Rite provides a significant amount of financial support for clients receiving services at the 黑洞社区 clinic, said Laurie Hughey, director of the clinic.
One of the ways the Scottish Rite supports the clinic is through an annual fundraiser that combines champagne, chocolate and live and silent auctions. The sixth annual Champagne and Chocolate gala will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the Scottish Rite, 332 E. First St. N. in downtown Wichita.
Tickets are still available at $40 for individuals or $75 for couples, and can be purchased through the Scottish Rite by calling (316) 263-4218. They can also be purchased at the door.
"The funds raised at Champagne and Chocolate allow the clinic to provide services to more than 100 children each year," Hughey said. "Our partnership with the Scottish Rite continues to grow stronger, allowing more children to have a chance to improve their speech and language skills, which will in turn give them the best chance for success in school and life."
The clinic has a long-standing history of serving children and adults with communication disorders from the greater Wichita metropolitan area. Its mission always has been two-fold: (1) to educate students to become the best speech-language pathologists and audiologists that they can be and (2) to provide the best services possible to individuals with speech-language and/or hearing needs.