As we enter the fi nal week of Better Hearing and Speech Month, the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation, a Springfi eld-based nonprofi t, is participating in the “Million Ear Challenge,” the goal of which is to inform two million people about hearing loss by May 31. Once the goal is reached, the foundation will celebrate by making what press materials refer to as “a special donation” to the foundation, founded and chaired by Michelle Tjelmeland of Springfi eld. The organization promotes the use of cochlear implants – surgically implanted devices which bypass the normal hearing process and stimulate the cochlear nerve, sending sound signals directly to the brain. For further information about the foundation, cochlear implants and Better Hearing and Speech Month, visit ciafonline.org .