Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation

This profile is part of our Community Partner Spotlight series where we celebrate the important work of our grantees and partners across the communities we serve. These organizations share our belief that every person should have an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life possible, and we're honored to work alongside them toward meaningful change. Throughout this series, you can expect to gain insight into a wide array of nonprofit organizations that are helping us create healthier and more resilient communities.

Focus area supported:

Healthy and Connected Aging

Geographic area served:

Oregon

About Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation:

Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation works to ensure that cost is never a barrier to seeing and hearing the world clearly. Dedicated to addressing preventable blindness and hearing loss, they deliver life-changing programs across Oregon — from vision screenings in schools to hearing aids and sight-saving surgeries for older adults. Since 1959, Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation has created a network of care that reaches Oregonians of all ages who would otherwise go without essential services.

Our Partnership:

For many older adults, hearing loss is more than a physical challenge — it’s also a loss of social connection, which can lead to depression and anxiety. As one program participant described, it was "the saddest part of her aging process" until she received a hearing aid and the world opened up again.

Nearly one-third of adults over 60 experience hearing loss, yet hearing aids remain financially out of reach for many. Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation is changing that for hundreds of low-income Oregonians through the ROAR! Hearing Assistance Program.

Through a recent grant from Cambia Health Foundation, ROAR! is equipped to provide professional hearing exams, digital hearing aids, fittings and follow-up care at a reduced cost for 140 qualifying adults, including transportation and lodging support to those who need to travel to access these services. A licensed hearing aid specialist even brings mobile services directly to rural communities. Most recently, a clinic in Central Oregon brought this care directly to a region facing a shortage of providers, helping 10 adults reconnect with the world around them.

The goal is simple but profound: help older adults age safely in their communities and reclaim the sounds of everyday life.

In their words:

“I believe hearing healthcare is a right, not a privilege. At a recent clinic sponsored by the Cambia Health Foundation, ten Oregon seniors received hearing aids they might not otherwise have had access to. This means more independence, greater safety, cognitive support, and stronger social connections for these folks and that’s something I feel truly proud of."
– Melinda Rhodes, Patient Services Director of the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation