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CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings players visit Memphis Oral School for the Deaf

February 3, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, Miss.—The Memphis RiverKings visited with students from Memphis Oral School for the Deaf for "Cookies with the Kings" day on Tuesday, signing autographs and pennants for the children while learning about the school.

RiverKings captain Don Parsons' daughter, 18-month-old Maggy, attends the Parent-Infant Training Program at the school. Parsons helped raise $15,000 for the school last season with his goals-for-charity program, Parsons' Pledge, and continues to raise money for it and other children's charities through a permanent endowed fund at the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi.

"It's amazing what Maggy has learned already," Parsons said. "Memphis Oral School offers the gift of hearing to children who otherwise would never hear a sound."

Before sharing cookies and juice with the children, the players watched a video on the school. It followed the real life case of Tyler, a MOSD student who was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. The first clip of Tyler is on his second birthday. He mimics facial expressions of delight and surprise and points to things he wants or has questions about, but uses no vocal expressions.

The second clip shows Tyler at 3 years old, soon after he received a cochlear implant. He hums continuously, because he has realized he can hear sound for the first time. The next clip shows Tyler at age 6. He listens and talks with ease, although he doesn't use articles in his speech and has an obvious speech impediment.

By the time Tyler is 9 years old, six years after his implant, he listens and speaks almost perfectly, with just a trace of his speech impediment and without reading lips.

"The goal is to get the children into a traditional classroom," MOSD Development Director Kathy Smith said. "The sooner we get them into MOSD, the sooner they can move into a traditional classroom."

The children moved from player to player, searching for their picture on the RiverKings poster and asking them to sign their autograph. Many of the children took the liberty of crawling right into the players' laps or hugging them around their neck.

"It's awesome," said defenseman Jasmin Gelinas, who spent a good portion of the "Cookies With the ‘Kings" time coloring and drawing with Jordan, age 5. "It makes you realize a lot. It's nothing for us to come here, but it means a lot to the kids. I love it."

Most of the children who enter the school receive a cochlear implant. Maggy Parsons is one of those children fortunate enough to have it at 18 months, giving her an advantage in the speech development process.

Elizabeth Farrar, the school's executive director, said the children are very supportive of one another in regards to the implant surgery.

"When a child gets a new implant, all the kids are very excited," Farrar said. "When he comes in with his head shaved, they crowd around and give him the thumbs up, and tell him how cool it is."

Cost for each child is about $28,000 per year; however, families are not required to pay that total amount. MOSD has school district contracts with some local districts; it is a United Way Agency; and scholarships are available through funding from Subsidium's "Carrousel of Shoppes" annual event at the Mid-South Coliseum.

The difference between those monies and actual costs are made up with donations from the community, fundraisers, grants and support from local foundations.

"We serve children not only from the Memphis Area, but also Mississippi, Arkansas and other parts of Tennessee," Smith said. "There are only 44 of these auditory/oral schools in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia. A lot of people pick their families up and move here to get this type of education."

To donate to or volunteer with Parsons' Pledge or to donate items for the Parsons' Pledge year-end silent auction, call Carol Ayers at the RiverKings office, 662-342-1755.

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