Dolores and Karen share the joy

by Brandon Mayer

A local resident got a nice surprise recently when she found out she had won a pair of hearing aids from the Kemptville Hearing Clinic. The woman – who wished to be identified only as Dolores – did not even know about the contest when she was contacted and informed that she had won.

Karen McCallion, Hearing Instrument Specialist at the Clinic, provided more information to the Times on how the contest came to be.

“Last spring, Widex (a hearing aid manufacturing company) ran a contest for their customers, where we were given some hearing aids to wear while we enjoyed supper with our families. The hearing aids were brand new to the market and have some great noise reduction features in them. We were asked to ‘make a funny video’ and mine won!” Karen told the Times.

The Times was sent a copy of Karen’s winning video which makes a joke about the quiet expectations people have from life, versus the reality of much noise, demonstrated by Karen’s own children acting silly. The video ends with a caption “Real life is noisy… but we love it!”

Karen could have sold the hearing aids – which are worth thousands of dollars – but she decided to run her own giveaway instead, both because she thought it would be fun, and because she knew it might help to bring people into the Clinic.

Karen’s contest turned out to have 19 eligible participants, and she used an online random name generator to pick a winner from those eligible. Referring to Dolores, Karen told the Times, “She was called and was shocked, as she hadn’t even been aware of the contest!” To be eligible, contest participants only had to book an appointment at the Clinic for a free hearing test during the period of July and August, which explains why she was not aware of the contest.

Dolores was fitted last week with a pair of Widex Moment 440 rechargeable hearing aids, a remote control, and a TV play unit. Also included are free services and a warranty for a year, bringing the total prize value to over $8,500.

The Times reached out to Dolores, who expressed her gratitude to Karen for running the contest when she could have sold the hearing aids for profit.

“I knew I had some hearing loss for many years, but I didn’t pursue a remedy until five or six years ago,” Dolores told the Times. “When I did get hearing aids, I was never comfortable wearing them, and I gave up doing so. Now that I have this wonderful prize, I am comfortable.”

Dolores joked that her gratitude to Karen is for no longer having to ask, “what did you say?” when having conversations with others.

It goes without saying that Karen and Dolores share equal joy from the giveaway’s outcome.

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