Sometimes the most powerful gifts come from the most personal places. For Jay Cheng, a software engineer at NVIDIA in San Jose, California, that place was a hearing loss diagnosis of his own.
After losing hearing in one ear last year, Jay came across Christy Vogel’s TED Talk, where the Founder and Executive Director of Sounding Joy shared her own journey with hearing loss and the mission behind the nonprofit she built to help children access hearing aids. Jay was deeply moved by Christy’s story. Having personally experienced hearing loss himself, he understands firsthand the challenges that come with navigating life when you cannot hear clearly.
Inspired by what he heard, Jay decided to give back by making a significant gift to Sounding Joy. His donation has the potential to help up to 25 children receive the hearing care they need, providing as many as 50 professionally fitted hearing aids and giving them the opportunity to better communicate, learn, and thrive.
“Jay’s generosity is exactly why I share my story every chance I get,” said Christy Vogel, Founder and Executive Director of Sounding Joy. “You never know who is listening or how deeply your experience might resonate with someone else. His gift has the potential to help up to 25 children receive life changing hearing aids, creating opportunities that will impact them for years to come.”
Jay’s donation will directly fund professionally fitted hearing aids, follow up care, and essential hearing services for children whose families cannot otherwise afford hearing healthcare. By removing financial barriers, gifts like his ensure more children have the opportunity to develop speech and language skills, succeed in school, build meaningful relationships, and reach their full potential.
Sounding Joy is incredibly grateful to Jay for turning his own experience into hope for children and families. His generosity is a powerful reminder that one person’s story can inspire another.
Hear It From Jay
Watch the video below to hear from Jay himself on why he felt compelled to donate.
