SHOEBOX Volunteer Day with Bruyère

How do you change the world? We believe change happens one day at a time, one person at a time. We can’t solve every problem out there, but something that we can do, here at SHOEBOX, is test people’s hearing.

It seems like a small thing. After all, getting a hearing test is free almost everywhere in Ontario. Anyone can go to an audiologist and get a full test, all they have to do is make an appointment. 

But the reality is that there are a huge amount of people out there with undiagnosed hearing loss, because for whatever reason—whether it’s because they don’t even know they have a problem, or don’t know where to look for help, or don’t know they can get a test for free—a lot of people just don’t go get tested. 

When our company added the amazing Change the World Day for employees—a paid day every year to volunteer—we wanted to find a way to do what we do best: test people’s hearing. 

This past November, with the help of SHOEBOX CMO Matt Bromwich and Bruyère Director of Innovation and Development Mitchell Kutney, we completed our first volunteer day, testing administrators at Bruyère with SHOEBOX QuickTest at an onsite training day. 

Prior to arriving at Bruyère, we completed a one-hour training session on QuickTest with the team, that included how to use the product, how to help people understand their results, and how to handle any possible issues that might come up on the day of.

Then, we were ready! We arrived at Bruyère at 8am on a Tuesday, and the day unfolded from there. Overall, we tested 50 people, recommended follow ups with an audiologist to 6 (the majority of whom had no idea they might have a hearing problem), and had a great time.

How great a time? Our volunteers tell you in their own words below: