Saint Mary’s NSSLHA Club is partnering with Flourish Boutique and Gallery to raise money for Sertoma, a national service organization focused on hearing health, this Friday.
The fundraiser is part of the annual nationwide “NSSLHA Loves” campaign, club president and senior Taylor Ellerbrock said.
“NSSLHA stands for ‘National Student Speech Language Hearing Association’ and is a club for anyone interested in the professional world of speech pathology and audiology.” Ellerbrock said. “Saint Mary’s is just one chapter of the national organization contributing to the NSSLHA Loves campaign.”
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website, NSSLHA has approximately 13,000 members and 300 student-managed campus chapters in the United States and abroad.
“Every year [NSSLHA Loves] picks a foundation to raise awareness and funds for, and this year they picked Sertoma,” Ellerbrock said. “Sertoma is a hearing loss-hearing health foundation. ... They advocate for healthy hearing.”
According to the Sertoma website, the organization has a mission to improve the quality of life through education and support for those impacted by hearing loss.
In order to achieve ‘gold level’ honors within NSSLHA, the Saint Mary's club must donate at least $500 to Sertoma, Ellerbrock said. The upcoming event with Flourish Boutique and Gallery is one of the main fundraisers for their contribution, she said.
“Five percent of purchases at Flourish from the whole day [on Nov. 13] is going to Sertoma alone. Our club is not taking any of it,” Ellerbrock said.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and shoppers are encouraged to look for hidden gift cards in the store ranging from $10 to $100, Ellerbrock said. NSSLHA officers will be at Flourish from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. handing out ‘swag bags,’ and if people bring the event flyer, they will get 50 percent off their purchase and free pair of earrings, she said.
“Even if you don’t bring that flyer and you’re a random shopper from, say, Granger, five percent of your purchase money still goes to NSSLHA, which in turn goes to Sertoma,” Ellerbrock said.
This is the first time the club has worked with Flourish, Ellerbrock said. Planning for the event began after fall break, when the club decided to do a fundraiser that was different than the Eddy Street Give Back Nights. They also wanted to reach people beyond the Saint Mary’s-Notre Dame community, she said.
Ellerbrock said everyone they worked with at Flourish was helpful and supportive. The club enjoys working with a company that promotes positive self-image and self-confidence, she said.
“Not only can you get a great deal, but this also helps NSSLHA raise awareness about hearing health in general,” Ellerbrock said. “We’re really passionate our major and about hearing health. It’s going to be a fun time.”
