EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was submitted by Steve Allen of the North Central Ohio Sertoma club.
MANSFIELD — Living with hearing loss has been a challenge for Mansfield’s Darrell Taylor.
He’s just like anyone else with one exception, he’s deaf. So is his wife, Timara, and one of their two sons who are still very young, the first at 3 years old and the second at only 1 year old. Another other son has a speech impediment because he lives in a home where the primary form of communication is ASL sign language.
On Saturday, Dec. 21, the family met with the North Central Ohio Sertoma Club at the Mansfield Fire Museum to learn that they were chosen for the 2024 Adopt-A-Family program.
Each year Sertoma surprises a family with gifts and extends a hand to let them know that the club is here to help.
They were recommended as worthy recipients by partners from the Deaf Services Center. Among the items unwrapped, Sertoma provided the family with a doorbell that triggers a strobe light, communication flash cards, and an ASL signing book for toddlers.
After opening the gifts they spent about an hour touring the many displays at the museum.
Sertoma has been serving North Central Ohio since 1937 providing education to the
Deaf community about hearing assistive devices, provides scholarships for Deaf
children who will be attending college or entering a skilled trade, and assisting area
classrooms with equipment and supplies to aid in the education of Deaf children.
For more information about Sertoma, visit https://mansfield-sertoma.square.site or email
northcentralohiosertoma@gmail.com.