Meet Our Founder & Executive Director
Christy Vogel
At the age of 11, Christy Vogel was told two things: She was hearing impaired (probably since birth) and she taught herself how to read lips without realizing it. As a child, because she had to put sound and facial expressions together with what she saw while lipreading to figure out what people were saying, she would sometimes respond slowly. People thought she was slow or “stupid.” As she grew into her teens (still without hearing aids because her parents couldn’t afford them), she decided they must be right. It wasn’t until Christy was already succeeding in the business world in her 20’s, despite her hearing impairment, that she was able to afford her first pair of hearing aids. It changed her world. Finally able to participate and contribute to her full potential, Christy’s career took off.
Christy came to the realization in 2021 that she was supposed to be born hearing impaired and unable to afford hearing aids so she could be passionate enough to help others get hearing aids. In March of 2021, she started a nonprofit, Sounding Joy, that provides hearing aids to children whose families can’t afford them. By 2024, her goal is to donate two sets of hearing aids every week.
