The New Year brought new surprises to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana.  Newport/ Balboa and the Santa Ana North Rotary Club jointly received a District Simplified grant from Rotary International. They donated $4,000 to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program (DHHP) to purchase much needed reading books.

Rotarian member, Dr. Rajendra Desai, along with other parents, helped establish the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program 35 years ago.  Having a deaf daughter himself, he recognized the need for deaf children to read.  Exposure to books teaches Deaf children English, which is directly connected to writing.  Dr. Desai understands the importance for deaf children to read and write in English in order to communicate in a hearing world.