Starkey Hearing Foundation Partners With GRAMMY Foundation(R) to Announce SoundMatters(TM) Initiative: GRAMMY-Nominated Artist Taylor Swift, Along With Emerging Artists Crosby Loggins, Jimmy Wayne and GRAMMY-Nominated Sara Bareilles Lead the Way in the Prominent Best Buy Partnership

Starkey Hearing Foundation Partners With GRAMMY Foundation(R) to Announce SoundMatters(TM) Initiative: GRAMMY-Nominated Artist Taylor Swift, Along With Emerging Artists Crosby Loggins, Jimmy Wayne and GRAMMY-Nominated Sara Bareilles Lead the Way in the Prominent Best Buy Partnership

MINNEAPOLIS, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- On Feb. 1, Starkey Hearing Foundation (SHF) and the GRAMMY Foundation(R) kicked off the SoundMatters(TM) campaign in more than 950 Best Buy locations. With a goal of communicating the importance of hearing and hearing loss prevention to young music fans, SoundMatters(TM) has enlisted a number of stars to help spread the word. Taylor Swift leads the list of celebrity supporters, which includes emerging artists Crosby Loggins, Jimmy Wayne and GRAMMY-nominated Sara Bareilles. "We are grateful to partner with the GRAMMY Foundation(R) in this effort, and having young artists join our campaign to promote responsible listening is paramount in fulfilling our mission of educating the public on the importance of hearing," said Bill Austin, Founder of SHF.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/AQW096LOGO)

The SoundMatters(TM) initiative is dedicated to raising the social awareness of healthy hearing, prevention of hearing damage and encouraging regular hearing check-ups. The rising popularity of portable entertainment devices is putting more people at risk.

"Music is an essential part of our daily lives and more broadly a resonant force in our cultural heritage," said Kristen Madsen, Senior Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation(R). "We are pleased to partner with Best Buy and SHF in this effort because hearing health begins with the youngest listeners so they may enjoy a lifetime of musical involvement."

"These young artists have huge followings that can help us to communicate a message to their fans that would otherwise be lost," said Debbie Wright, Executive Director of SHF. "The joys of healthy hearing are experienced every day in conversations with family and friends and in listening to our favorite musical artists. We want to change the way people think about hearing and start the conversation about the ways SoundMatters(TM)."

There are many ways to prevent hearing loss and as the Global leader in the Gift of Hearing, SHF continues their leadership role by promoting this hearing conservation program. To help drive the initiative, Best Buy and its @15 Foundation, together with leading headphone manufacturers Philips, JVC and Sony, have taken the lead in showing their support.

For more information on how you can protect your hearing, please visit www.soundmatters.org.

About Starkey Hearing Foundation (SHF)

Starkey Hearing Foundation is the Global Leader in the Gift of Hearing, delivering more than 50,000 hearing instruments annually through hearing missions in 86 countries. Founded by William F. Austin in 1984 with the vision So the World May Hear, countless numbers of lives are touched by better hearing through Starkey Hearing Foundation missions. With the goal to heighten social consciousness on the importance of hearing, Starkey Hearing Foundation launched a Hearing Conservation program SoundMatters(TM), to educate the public about responsible listening. Today the Foundation is sustained by the selfless efforts of volunteers and donors spanning the globe. Since 2000, the Foundation has distributed more than 340,000 hearing instruments to those in need around the world. Please visit www.sotheworldmayhear.org to learn more.

About GRAMMY Foundation(R)

The GRAMMY Foundation(R) was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture -- from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy(R), to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit www.grammyfoundation.com.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/AQW096LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Starkey Hearing Foundation

CONTACT: Debbie Wright of Starkey Hearing Foundation, 1-866-354-3254,
Debbie_Wright@starkey.com

Web Site: http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org/

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