PENNY GROVES COMPLETES 28 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS IN FEBRUARY TO RAISE MONEY FOR ‘HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE’ CHARITY
Penny Groves age 9, daughter of Kim Groves (our Central Services Manager), helps to raise money to transform the lives of deaf people
Local hero, Penny Groves, is fundraising for the national charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to help train life-changing hearing dogs for deaf people. Penny has chosen to complete 28 acts of kindness during the month of February, as part of the charity’s 28 Challenge that sees participants raise money by taking on any challenge involving the number 28.
Penny, who lives in Thorpe Thewles in Stockton on Tees is taking on this impressive challenge to raise funds for the charity whose work means a lot to her. Penny was born with permanent moderate hearing loss and now wears Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHAs).
Kim Groves, our Central Service Manager, said: “In April, Penny will have had the BAHAs for a year and they have made such a difference to her, really helping her to gain confidence.
“We wanted to challenge her to learn how to put both her BAHAs in by herself over the 28 days, but Penny wanted to use the challenge to help others.
“She is so excited that two important causes close to her heart have come together. She is such an animal lover and adores her two dogs Teddy and Jessie and really wants to raise money to help deaf people.”
Penny has already litter picked around her village, volunteered at her local Park Run, donated clothes and pocket money to charity, written letters and drawn pictures for people who are going through a tough time, and there is still so much more to come. She plans to donate food to a local food bank and bake cookies for a charity for homeless people.
The money she is raising from sponsorships for her 28 days of kindness will be donated to the national charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People which trains dogs that change the lives of deaf people. They do this by alerting deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss, such as the smoke alarm, intruder alarm, oven timer, alarm clock and baby monitor. They also offer constant emotional support and companionship, helping deaf people to leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. This is crucial as deaf people often struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Penny said: “Every penny I raise will help more hearing dog puppies to be trained so that one day they can transform a deaf person’s life.”
On Penny’s commitment to helping members of the deaf community, Kim continued: “Penny is starting to identify herself as part of the deaf community, which is fabulous, and seeing what Rose (Ayling-Ellis) has achieved is inspiring her. Penny now hopes to inspire others with her acts of kindness. The fact that she’s helping people in the deaf community means so much to her.”
A spokesperson for the charity said: “We are so impressed with Penny’s idea for The 28 Challenge and all the effort she has put into raising money to help train life-changing hearing dogs. It is such a lovely and thoughtful thing for her to do. She is an inspirational young lady.”
Penny has set herself a target of raising £1,000 but she would like to raise more if possible. Anyone who would like to sponsor Penny and help transform the lives of deaf people can do so by clicking here.
To find out more about the charity and The 28 Challenge, click here.
