Hear for the Holidays is our annual initiative to share some gratitude for our community and give back to the people we care about. The holidays are a busy, loud time, and with untreated hearing loss, it can get overwhelming and isolating when you feel left out of the conversation at the dinner table. 

We want to support individuals in our Aurora and Newmarket communities who might be in need of hearing care but cannot get it, whether due to financial constraints or putting others’ needs first. 

Your nominations this year were amazing as always, and it was a struggle to pick just two winners, but out of all of the great stories we read, we found our favourites. 

Our Aurora Winner Is… Brian North! 

Brian came in for his fitting on December 11, and when we told him he was our winner, he told us that he never would have gotten them for himself. He and his sister, who came along with him, were both so appreciative! 

Brian’s nomination was so heartfelt and told us all we needed to know about our winner. 

Brian works tirelessly for the community. He is involved with the Southlake Foundation…works hard on the Southlake Run and volunteered to help at the gala. He is a member of the Optimist Club, the Probus Club and this year is the head person of the Oddfellows in Aurora. He has been the chair for the rebuild of Aurora United Church for over ten years, liaising with the contractors, architects, Amica and the church itself to name a few.  

On top of all of this, he is the town’s Santa Claus, both in the parade and in many other functions where Santa is needed.  

Recently, he and his friend Vern Cunningham have been building and installing “phones to call loved ones” in cemeteries in the area. He has also been involved with the memorial plaques in Aurora.  

He is also the first person on call, taking our ninety-five-year-old father to appointments and talking to all the doctors, pharmacists and AmicaNewmarket regarding my dad’s care.  

A tireless volunteer, former business owner and citizen of the year... He is now retired, and I believe he needs hearing aids, which is a cost not within his reach. 

Brian is the embodiment of the kind of winner we were looking for – someone who gives so much to our Aurora community without thinking of himself first. 

Newmarket’s Deserving Winner Is James Lamb! 

James’s daughter, who is also a patient of ours, informed us that he was in need of hearing care without the means to seek it out. 

Her nomination for her dad was so sweet that when he came for his fitting on December 9, we knew that he deserved this gift. 

As a loving husband, father of four and grandfather of seven, he puts his wife, kids and grandchildren first. No matter what he is doing or his own needs, if his kids or grandkids need his help, he drops whatever he is doing to help them out. 

He loves to hang out with his family but has a hard time keeping up. He knows he needs them [hearing aids] but has a hard time spending money on himself. He would rather spend and help out his kids and grandkids.  

James is always helping out his neighbours with shovelling or cutting the grass. Even though he is 71 and the oldest of his neighbours, he is always there to give a helping hand no matter what. He takes every opportunity to teach his grandchildren about history or building things. He is truly one of a kind. 

Thank You for All Your Nominations! 

We’d like to extend a big THANK YOU to everyone who nominated someone for Hear for the Holidays 2024. 

Our inbox was full of incredibly kind and heartfelt nominations, and reading each one made us all the more proud to be hearing healthcare leaders in our community. 

If you’d like to get in touch about hearing care, whether yours or a loved one’s, please don’t hesitate to request a callback or find your closest clinic to give us a call in: 

Aurora: (905) 841-2850
Newmarket: (905) 953-9991