Transcript:
Segment 1. Gary Thompson: It is nonprofit week with 94.1 KXOJ and so many vitally important nonprofits. We are trying to raise your awareness of KXOJ family. Today we are with Jan Pride from Happy Hands Education Center and it’s for kids who are Deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Jan, for those unfamiliar with Happy Hands, share the heart behind your mission and what you are serving.
Jan Pride: Happy Hands Education Center serves children who are Deaf and hard of hearing ages primarily ages birth through 4th grade now. We have served families from as far away as Stroud, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Bartlesville. But we’re also seeing families move to the Tulsa area from Oregon, Washington, Georgia, all over the United States at this time. Happy Hands is a faith-based education program specifically focusing on Deaf and hard of hearing children and their needs. Parents are really looking for faith-based programs. That’s what Happy Hands provides. Our mission is to make sure that children who are Deaf and hard of hearing are able to flourish in life, be able to flourish in their education -even flourish within their own homes in a way that is accessible to Deaf children both in the way we teach language and also making sure that financially it’s accessible to parents.
Gary: I’m fascinated to hear more about how this is accomplished. Jan, with Happy Hands, more coming up just ahead. Find more at happyhands.org.
Segment 2. Gary: It’s been a really informative week on KXOJ nonprofit week and really interested in hearing how to help more kids with Happy Hands Education Center. That’s why Jan Pride came in today on the afternoon show. Jan, you work with children who are Deaf and hard of hearing. What makes early intervention so important and critical for these kids and their families?
Jan: Well, at Happy Hands we know that communication is the foundation for language, and a well-developed language is the cornerstone for reading, and for social emotional development, and really the rest of life. Access to the world…but also access to the Word of God. Without communication, a child is isolated, we are isolated. 94% of children that are born Deaf are born into hearing families who have no prior experience with deafness hearing loss before. And that only accounts for the children that are born Deaf. It doesn’t account for the children that lose their hearing later from an illness or whatever that may be. One Happy Hands mom told me this was a journey she was totally not prepared for. She sang to her son, she read to him, she told him that she loved him – then all that to find out that he never heard her. And we need to make sure that early intervention is happening as soon as possible.
Gary: Important conversation and really interesting. If you’re interested in hearing more about Happy Hands Education Center, we’ve got more with Jan coming up, but you can go to happyhands.org.
Segment 3. Gary: It’s nonprofit week on KXOJ. Gary Thompson, hi there. It is a fascinating conversation to sit down with Jan Pride of Happy Hands Education Center for Deaf and hard of hearing kids. Jan, I was really excited to hear that faith is a big part of your approach. How does that influence that day-to-day environment at Happy Hands?
Jan: Well Happy Hands faith is THE most important aspect of our ministry in my opinion. Happy Hands Education Center accepts all children with hearing loss, any families regardless of their faith. But God started this work and the vision for Happy Hands is to make sure that Deaf children not only have the language that they need to be successful, but they also have access to the Word of God. Only 2% of Deaf Americans identify themselves as Christians.
Gary: Wow.
Jan: And worldwide the Deaf population is the second most unreached population for Christ. And it all goes back to language and access to language.
Gary: Right.
Jan: But Happy Hands is working to change that and by providing education, therapies, parent resources and all of that with the love of Christ, we are actually changing those statistics one child at a time. And we never turn away a child because of the family’s financial situation. We trust God will provide for all our needs and that we can partner with the community to do that.
Gary: I love that heart. You can find more about Happy Hands Education Center at happyhands.org. More with Jan coming up.
Segment 4. Gary: It’s nonprofit week with 94.1 KXOJ. Sitting down with some important folks who are making life so much easier and so much better for so many. We are talking about kids today who are Deaf and hard of hearing Jan Pride is the director there and you guys work closely with parents and caregivers. Can you tell us more about the support and education you offer families?
Jan: Happy Hands Education Center knows that parents are the most important teachers in a child’s life. We come alongside the parents and caregivers to encourage them that their child is made in the image of God. They aren’t broken or disabled. They are precious. And they are about to embark on a journey that they didn’t expect but they are going to be involved with Deaf culture, sign language, and a whole new way of communicating and a whole new way of parenting. So we offer free sign language classes to the parents in our program; we introduce them to the wonderful community in this area of Deaf culture and other resources they might need to access. It’s really common for a family with a Deaf child to feel isolated because they know at some point their child won’t be included and that might be in their church or in their extended family. But Happy Hands is here to help those parents of those Deaf children.
Gary: More with Jan Pride coming up on KXOJ during nonprofit week. You can find more right now at happyhands.org.
Segment 5. Gary: Its nonprofit week with 94.1 KXOJ. Jan Pride from Happy Hands Education Center is in studio today. I’m so fascinated and warmed by this conversation, Jan. Many of your students thrive despite challenges. Is there a story you could share that really captures the impact of there at Happy Hands?
Jan: Gosh, after 32 years of serving Deaf and hard of hearing children in this area, Happy Hands has seen so many lives changed. I think about a family who came many years ago and the family was really in distress. They brought their two-year-old child. They had just found out she was losing her hearing. She wasn’t communicating. But this family was in distress as well. They were facing divorce. They were blaming themselves for her hearing loss and struggling just really emotionally. Mom told us that soon after her little girls started Happy Hands, she would fall asleep at night making the sign for “Jesus”. “Jesus, Jesus” in sign language.
Gary: Oh I love it.
Jan: This little girl was seeing and experiencing stories of Jesus every day in class and realizing that Jesus loved her. So Mom ended up in our office and Mom wanted to know who is this Jesus? I don’t know Jesus and she eventually accepted Jesus as her Lord. And then a few years later I had the privilege of watching Mom baptize her daughter. That was just precious.
Gary: That is the kingdom of God right there. More with Jan Pride from Happy Hands coming up. Find more at happyhands.org.
Segment 6. Gary: I tell you my friends at KXOJ family I am so excited about talking with Jan Pride today, on nonprofit week with Happy Hands Education Center. Jan, what would surprise people most about the work you’re doing with Deaf or hard of hearing kids that you serve?
Jan: Probably the one thing that I hear people express more than anything else when they visit Happy Hands is that they had no idea the needs were so great for children that are Deaf and hard of hearing. You know, deafness is very invisible and unless you have a Deaf person in your life somewhere or in your circle, in your friends, you’re pretty unaware of the struggles that a Deaf person experiences and the isolation that they experience. And like I said often times a Deaf person experiences that isolation in their own family. Like at the dinner table, or when a joke is told at a family event and those communications become very difficult. But at Happy Hands we make sure that communication is accessible in all their activities in all their language opportunities during the day. We do that through sign language, speech training, all of those things but the sign language is the truly accessible language at all times no matter what’s going on with their ears. And we make sure it’s financially accessible to the families. We raise about 85% of our budget annually to keep the doors open and to support these kids with scholarships.
Gary: Beautiful. More with Jan Pride coming up on KXOJ. I’m Gary Thompson. You can find more at happyhands.org .
Segment 7. Gary: It’s nonprofit week on KXOJ sitting down with community leaders really educating ourselves and you, the KXOJ family on all the great ministries and outreaches out there. Today its Happy Hands Education Center. I’m with Jan Pride. Jan, how can someone in our listening audience get involved helping these deaf and hard of hearing kids—whether through volunteering, giving, or attending events?
Jan: We love for KXOJ listeners to get involved. The best first step is a tour. We love to show off what we are doing in our center. So you get to peek in on the classrooms, hear parent stories, and see where your passion connects with Happy Hands. We love to have classroom and office volunteers typically on a weekly basis, but sometimes we do have events and so volunteers are welcome to participate in that. Our website www.happyhands.org is a great place to see what the opportunities are. It costs us $23,000 annually to educate one child and so we really do depend on donations and support from the community. Our Happy Hands Heroes are our monthly donors. We are also a member school with OSF, Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which allows tax credits for the donor, and then we would love to come and speak to anyone to your church group or to your club or invite you in to have a tour at Happy Hands or check out our Facebook or social media.
Gary: Amazing. More at happyhands.org. More with Jan coming up.
Segment 8. Gary: Nonprofit week on 94.1 KXOJ speaking today what a privilege to talk with Jan Pride from Happy Hands Education Center helping the kids who are Deaf and hard of hearing. Jan as you’re looking ahead, what are some hopes or goals for the future of Happy Hands Education Center?
Jan: To our knowledge we are the only Christian school for the Deaf in the United States.
Gary: Wow, what a distinction.
Jan: We want that to change so our goal and our dream is to continue up through 12th grade. We are experiencing crowdedness now. In fact our elementary program, instead of being in our building, they are in some rented space at a church, which is great and we appreciate that, but it means that in the near future we are going to be looking at some kind of capital campaign and building again. The parents have made it very clear to us that they want a Christian education for their children and one of the things that I think they are looking for - the reason they’re looking for that is because many churches don’t have the resources to provide that Christian education on Sundays or whatever day they go to church. So Happy Hands really is church for these families in a lot of ways. But my prayer has always been that out of the ministry of Happy Hands more Deaf children around the world will know and trust Jesus as their Lord.
Gary: May it be so. You can find more and support at happyhands.org
