Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation Hosts Annual D-Feet Hearing Loss Walk in Bemidji

The Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation hosted their annual “D-Feet Hearing Loss Walk” over the weekend in Bemidji and Chaska to raise funds for hearing-related research projects at the University of Minnesota.

For the third year, First City Lions and Bemidji Lions hosted the annual Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation’s Up North Walk. The foundation partners with the Otolaryngology Department of the University of Minnesota, with funds raised going towards hearing-related research projects at the university, as well as support for the Children’s Hearing Clinic.

“We have a partnership that goes back to the 1960s, and this is to help people in need who have hearing loss, and it’s been a very good thing,” said Wayne Tieman, a Bemidji Lions Club member. “We have had people in Bemidji that have benefited from our work with Lions Hearing Foundation.”

To raise funds, the Bemidji Lions decided to hold a walk from Diamond Point Park to the Paul and Babe statues in downtown Bemidji, with members of the community walking with their team or just donating to the cause.

“We’re celebrating what Lions have done over the year, and we’re looking forward to another year,” Tieman stated. “It’s been a very good experience and we Lions, we thrive on activity. And when we’re in activity like this, we feel good about things and we’re able to get more people to join us and have a little fun at the same time. A lot of fun.”

“I think the ability to raise funds for the Lions Hearing Foundation is really, really important, because for those people who are suffering from hearing loss, the dollars that it costs to get hearing aids and amplification equipment and things like that can be really expensive,” explained Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince. “Not everybody has insurance that covers that, so often they’re relying on programs like the ones at the Lions Hearing Foundation has to help pay for that.”

And the Lions were very thankful for all the community members who decided to participate in the walk.

“It’s great, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together to support the Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation,” said Bemidji Lions Club President Ethan Larson. “A lot of people, either they know someone or they have a family member with hearing impairment. And it’s just, it’s great to see the community come together for this kind of event.”

“We want to get the message out there more,” added Tieman. “By doing things like this, we promote awareness and we’re able to get a lot of people to know more about us, and that way we can build our support for those people in need.”

The Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation has raised close to $8,000 just from the walk in Bemidji, not counting any donations from online or from the walk in Chaska. The foundation is still accepting donations here.