Our Recipient Charities

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People NZ

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People NZ provides specially trained dogs that help deaf & hearing impaired people be more independent & have a better quality of life.

At Acorn Foundation, we LOVE getting visits from our furry friends – like Rina – Tauranga’s newest hearing dog.

Rina will be the hard-working companion of local Tauranga woman Rachel, who is profoundly deaf without her hearing aids, and feels vulnerable when she is home alone. Rina will be able to serve as her ears, letting her know about any sounds that occur – her phone, her smoke alarm, her doorbell, and even the ding of her oven – and Rina will help Rachel explore the city. Rina and Rachel had only been together for a few days when they visited Acorn, and Rachel was already shocked at just how much her confidence had increased with Rina by her side!

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People has received funding from the Acorn Foundation over the last three years as the result of the generosity of Beverley Burns. Beverley left a gift in her will to create an endowment fund to help connect the Western Bay of Plenty’s disabled community with specially trained dogs that will dramatically increase the quality of their lives.

Deafness is often extremely isolating, especially for those who are not born deaf &/or do not sign. People who acquire deafness in later life can frequently lose the confidence to even leave their homes & hold down their jobs. A well-trained disability support dog can usually be guaranteed to encourage someone to regain this lost confidence to walk out of their front door again.

As an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International, their dogs are trained to international standards at their national training centre based in New Plymouth, Taranaki.