The Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School of the Deaf has installed a plaque honoring the Los Altos and Sunnyvale Sertoma clubs for their donation to provide equipment for a therapy room.
The donation came about through funds raised by the Los Altos Sertoma Club at various events such as this year's pancake breakfast during the Los Altos Mayfest celebration and the Sertoma food booth at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival in July.
The clubs raised approximately $10,000 total for the school over a period of several years.
Since moving into their new Redwood City-based facility in 1997, the school has grown from about 20 to almost 50 students and increased the professional staff to 18.
The school specializes in teaching speech and listening to hearing-handicapped children with emphasis on infants, toddlers and preschool students.
"Parents bring students from as far away as Aptos and Walnut Creek on a daily basis to give their children the gift of speech," said Los Altos Sertoma member Bob De Grasse.
While hearing aids have been the only aid available in the past, severely deaf children can now receive cochlear implants.
A recent grant from the Oberkotter Foundation has enabled the creation of two videos showing the new therapies available to bring speech to the deaf.
For more information, call 1-800-ORALDEAF or access: www.oraldeaf.org on the Internet.
The Los Altos Sertoma Club meets at 7:15 a.m. every Thursday at Lyon's Restaurant on El Camino Real in Los Altos.
For more information, call 964-3506.