Travelers Protective Association Starts Off New Year Changing Name of Grant Program
Event News, Featured, Membership News
01.21.21 | Al Shoemaker
TPA Continues the Fight for Inclusion of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
ST. CHARLES, MO (January 21, 2021) – Travelers Protective Association (TPA) has begun the process of changing the name of its Scholarship Trust program to better reflect their mission of providing financial assistance to families across the country who have deaf and hard of hearing members. As of December 2020, the Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired will officially be known as the TPA Hearing Trust.
The purpose for this name change came about during discussions with members of the St. Louis community while planning for their first virtual event, Sounds of St. Louis, which took place on November 19, 2020. TPA received concern from individuals and organizations that using the term ‘impaired’ did not reflect the positive messaging TPA was working to accomplish.
“The board of trustees of the Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired met to listen to concerns regarding the use of potentially offensive language to members in the deaf and hard of hearing community,” said Albert Shoemaker, TPA’s Chief Administrative Officer. “Based on the input we received, our board of trustees voted to change the name to the TPA Hearing Trust and adopted a new logo. We are excited to embrace this new name and to continue our mission to provide aid to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
Since 1975, the TPA Hearing Trust program has provided financial assistance for over 5,900 individuals and distributed over $2 million in grants. The mission of the grant program is to provide aid to individuals that are deaf or hard of hearing for resources that will allow them to achieve their full potential. Recipients of these grants can utilize their funding to obtain hearing aids, hearing aid maintenance, tutoring, Cochlear implant upgrades, interpreters, medical services, service dogs, and much more.
“With roughly twenty percent of Americans being deaf or hard of hearing, we want to continue making sure they receive the support they need and the respect they deserve,” Shoemaker continued. “The goal of the Trust is to aid and assist people. With the help of our generous donors and members of our communities, we know that we will continue increasing the number of individuals we can offer support to.”
An independent 501(c)(3) organization, the TPA Hearing Trust accepts tax deductible donations from TPA members, posts and divisions; nonmembers, businesses, foundations and all other legal entities. To learn more, make a contribution to the TPA Hearing Trust or to apply for aid, please visit tpahq.org/tpa-hearing-trust/.
About Travelers Protective Association of America
Originally founded in 1890 as a fraternal benefit society to provide fellowship and insurance to traveling salesmen, The Travelers Protective Association of America (TPA) is a nonprofit organization of men and women who are committed to improving the lives of others. In addition to providing exclusive benefits to nearly 17,000 members, TPA provides programming through its 136 posts across the nation. These post locations promote the betterment of families and communities through child safety initiatives, community service projects and personal development opportunities. TPA is licensed in 29 states to provide accident, disability and death benefits to its members and their beneficiaries. To learn more, please visit tpahq.org or contact TPA Headquarters at (636) 724-2227.
