Holiday Party 2019

Our annual holiday party was held on December 14, 2019 and was hosted by the Hearing Loss Association of America, Albany chapter, and Hands & Voices of New York. It took place at the Delmar Reformed Church, in Delmar, N.Y. Everyone brought a potluck dish to share and H&VNY provided the pizza! There was plenty of snacks and desserts.

What an amazing turnout, we had! Along with the adult Hard of Hearing and Deaf members of HLAA and our families from Hands & Voices of New York, there were graduates and students from the Capital Region BOCES Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their families that attended the holiday party. H&VNY sponsored a re-gifting table where people could choose a gift and make a donation.

There was also a raffle drawing for a basket of children’s toys and miscellaneous gifts. The proceeds for the raffle and regifting table went to support Hands & Voices of New York. Children enjoyed the arts and craft stations for children and families were able to enjoy a reading nook with lots of books.

What a great job by our local music group, Spare Changes. Charlie, Mark, and Bill entertained the crowd with Jazz and Blues tunes and Holiday Songs. Good times.

Of course, the highlight of the afternoon was Santa Claus! The children were so excited when Santa arrived and especially elated to see that Santa was fluent in sign language. The looks on the children’s faces were priceless when they saw Santa signing to them and asking them questions. The children followed him as he entered and gathered around him, waiting patiently to have a turn to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Santa brought gifts for all the children (sponsored by HLAA).

The afternoon was filled with laughter and fun! What a wonderful way for families and friends to gather together to socialize and to get to know each other and make new friendships.

Thank you to HLAA for organizing this Annual Event in the Capital District.