Ontario Gift of Hearing
Since 2014, we’ve been proud to support the hearing health of Ontario residents through the Hear Well Be Well Gift of Hearing program. Each year, we receive nominations from across the province with stories of friends, family members, coworkers and more who’ve been struggling with hearing loss and aren’t living their potential.
Each year, with the help of leading hearing aid manufacturers like Beltone, we deliver hearing aids, follow-up service and hearing testing to deserving people all at no charge.
Our impartial selection committee reviews every nomination with these criteria in mind:
- How is the person’s life impacted by hearing loss?
- How are the people around the nominee affected by their hearing loss?
- Why do they need to receive their hearing aids at no charge?
Beginning November 2025, the Hear Well Be Well local Gift of Hearing program will accept nominations or applications all year around.
To be considered for Gift of Hearing, the nominee or applicant must:
- Be 19 years of age or older and a resident of Ontario.
- Have a hearing loss that can be corrected with hearing aids determined by a FREE hearing test at one of our 13 Ontario locations.
- Be willing and able to attend testing, fitting and other scheduled follow-up appointments at the clinic that provided the Gift of Hearing aids.
- Not already have hearing aids, unless they are more than 7 years old.
- Have a definable reason that the support of Gift of Hearing is needed.
To get started
If you are nominating a friend or family member, complete the nomination form. Should your nominee be selected, they will have to complete the application form before moving forward in the process.
If you are applying for yourself, complete the application form.
What happens next?
After receiving an application or nomination, the impartial selection committee will review the information.
After review, a member of the selection committee will reach out to let you know if the request for Gift of Hearing will be moving forward. This will happen within 10 business days. If the approval to move forward is for a nomination, the nominee will have to complete an application to continue in the process. This application will also be reviewed by the impartial selection committee.
If you are moving forward with Gift of Hearing, a Client Care Representative from your local clinic will reach out to schedule your initial hearing test appointment.
Gift of Hearing is non-transferable. Should it be found that your hearing loss cannot be corrected by hearing aids, you cannot transfer your acceptance in the program to another person.
2024 Gift of Hearing Recipients
2023 Gift of Hearing Recipients
International Gift of Hearing
Since 2014, Hear Well Be Well founders John and Kathleen Tiede established the International Gift of Hearing program. In Canada, hearing aids over 90 days old cannot be resold, even if they’ve been refurbished, cleaned and they work perfectly.
As part of their work at Hope Village in Rwanda, home for children of the genocide, the Tiedes return to Rwanda often to support hearing solutions for those in trying circumstances. They also work to educate local doctors, nurses and specialist on hearing loss and hearing aid technology so they can better care for their patients.
Our 13 Ontario locations do hearing aid drives in the months prior to the Rwanda visits so local citizens can donate no longer needed hearing aids.