May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month across Canada.

To mark the special occasion, the Elks Altona Branch donated $500 toward the Central Speech and Hearing Clinic in Winnipeg.

Altona Elks executive member Rheina Schellenberg says Elks of Canada has been a big promoter of programs that deal with hearing and speech disorders for many years

"We have been involved at the national level with speech and hearing impairment since 1965 and in 1968 the Elks of Canada launched a deaf detection and development program as a pilot project."

Here in Manitoba, Elks of Canada has been instrumental in expanding hearing screening across the province. The Elks in partnership with Speech-Language and Audiology of Canada spearheaded efforts to establish hearing screening in all regional health authorities last year. Previously, hearing tests for newborns were offered only in Brandon, Winnipeg, and Thompson.

Approximately 3 out of 1,000 babies are born with a hearing loss each year and 1 in 10 Canadian currently has a speech language or hearing problem. Early detection helps children with congenital hearing loss get the treatment they need quickly

"Infants with hearing loss who are identified and receiving intervention by the age of six months perform 20 to 40 percent better on school related language measures than those who are identified later."

Schellenberg added every dollar spent on early childhood health and development saves nine-dollars in future health, social and justice services.