Deaf & Hearing Resources celebrates 30th anniversary with Hollywood star-studded superhero movie

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Oct. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- Deaf & Hearing Resources of Palm Beach County, Inc. will celebrate 30 years as Palm Beach County’s only nonprofit agency exclusively devoted to serving the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community with a superhero-themed party and a screening of NO ORDINARY HERO: The Superdeafy Movie at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 2014 at the Eissey Campus Theatre of Palm Beach State College located at 11051 Campus Drive off PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The movie, starring John Maucere and Academy Award-winner Marlee Matlin, is a family drama about a deaf actor who plays a TV superhero who must look beyond the cape and inspire a deaf boy to believe in himself. “Our 30^th anniversary celebration brings together our Deaf, hearing, and hard-of-hearing friends for a memorable and truly entertaining family movie night,” said Executive Director Lisa Bruna. “We’re encouraging everyone to come out and support this event, not only to enjoy a wonderful celebration of Deaf culture, but to help us spread the word about all the life-enriching services our agency provides.” Bruna added, “We’ve been a vital resource for many years to our Palm Beach County families, friends, and neighbors who experience hearing loss, and ticket proceeds from this festive fundraising event will help ensure we stay around for at least another thirty years.”

About NO ORDINARY HERO: The SuperDeafy Movie

Based on the internationally known SuperDeafy character, NO ORDINARY HERO, featuring Academy Award-winner Marlee Matlin, is completely open-captioned, making it fully accessible to Deaf, hard-of-hearing and “signing impaired” audiences. John Maucere stars as Tony Kane who plays a superhero on TV, but in real life he’s just another guy who happens to be deaf. Eight-year-old Jacob Lang, also deaf, is facing some challenges at home and at school. When Tony and Jacob’s paths cross, they inspire belief in each other and in themselves. This film is helmed by a producing and creative team of deaf professionals, including director Troy Kotsur, and executive producers Liz Tannebaum, Paul Maucere, and John Maucere, as well as hearing producers Hilari Scarl and Doug Matejka. The film enjoyed a sold-out world premiere at the prestigious Heartland Film Festival and screened at both the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival and the Rome International Film Festival, where it was featured on the opening night of the festival and received the Shepherd Award for innovative filmmaking. This film is currently playing in theaters nationwide. More details can be found at www.NoOrdinaryHeroMovie.com.

About Deaf & Hearing Resources of Palm Beach County

Established in 1984 (under the name Deaf Service Center of Palm Beach County, Inc.), Deaf & Hearing Resources is the only nonprofit agency uniquely designed to serve the county's population of more than 200,000 individuals with hearing loss, including 16,000 who are profoundly Deaf. Through innovative programs, services, and resources, the agency’s mission of “ensuring that quality of life will not be limited by hearing loss” is achieved. In addition to providing one-on-one assistance and advocacy for Deaf clients, the agency now also provides group activities, including life skills workshops, career counseling, ASL classes  (open to all), grammar and writing skills workshops for the Deaf, as well as social events, cultural outings, networking events, and support group  activities for Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients and their families. The agency’s Hearing Wellness Center, established in 1999, is a full-service audiology department and provides free hearing evaluations and patient consultations to help identify hearing loss or deafness and determine the best course of treatment (including hearing aids, if needed) based on an individual’s unique lifestyle. The agency’s doctorate-level audiologist is licensed in the State of Florida and does not receive commission. New in 2014, the Hearing Wellness Center is offering an expanded range of offerings, including pediatric audiology, dizziness testing, and other services, which are provided by highly skilled audiology professionals. More information can be found on the agency’s web site at www.mydhr.org. Facebook fans can follow the Deaf & Hearing Resources at www.Facebook.com/HearWellPBC.

Event Information

Tickets to the Deaf & Hearing Resources 30^th Anniversary SuperHero Celebration are $30 and include the superhero-themed party, food, soft drinks, live entertainment, and the movie screening. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Eissey Campus Theatre Box Office at 561-207-5900. Deaf & Hearing Resources is also offering a HEART-y HEROES program so that tickets can be donated to individuals or families with smaller budgets. Tickets can be donated by calling 561-802-3353. Donated tickets can be requested by sending an e-mail to info@mydhr.org with the subject line “SuperDeafy Ticket Request.”

Sponsor Information

Deaf & Hearing Resources is grateful for the generous support of our event sponsors: Hilton Palm Beach Airport, Trustbridge Health, Sorenson Communications, Purple Communications, Harris Communications, AT&T/Florida Relay, and Palm Beach County Association of the Deaf.