News Release

March 31, 2011 – Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – Unitron employees have successfully raised $40,000 for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides Hearing Ear program through the company’s Community Connection program, resulting in the sponsorship of two fully trained dog guides to assist the hearing impaired. Dog guides “Moxi” and “Shine” went into training in December and are scheduled to ‘graduate’ in April.

The Unitron Community Connection is a corporate social responsibility program, founded by Unitron management and employees. Established in 2009, the program provides Unitron employees with opportunities to align their passion for helping people with hearing loss with community programs offering support for people with hearing loss.

‘Hearing Ear’ Dog Guides such as Moxi and Shine play a vital role in providing individuals with hearing loss new levels of independence and confidence. Under the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide program, certified ‘Hearing Ear’ Dog Guides undergo an extensive 6 to 8 month training program that encompasses everything from manners to responding and altering to a variety of common every day sounds. It costs approximately $20,000 to train and provide each Dog Guide yet they are provided at no cost to applicants and completely funded through donations and fundraising activities.

“We are proud to support the Hearing Ear Dog Guides program and the impact these new “best friends” can have on the quality of life for people faced with hearing loss,” says Robert Walesa, General Manager, Unitron Canada. “It is also an excellent example of a program that relies on volunteers and works to ensure that the majority of our donation is truly making a difference.”

In a continuation of the Unitron Community Connection program, Unitron Canada continues to lend its support by donating $5 to the Hearing Ear Dog Guide Program for every Moxi™ 3G hearing instrument purchased.

About Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides
The Lions Foundation of Canada is a federally incorporated charitable foundation created by the Lions Clubs of Canada. Its mission is to provide service to physically challenged Canadians in the area of mobility, safety and independence; and to assist other charitable endeavours as appropriate. Since 1983, the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides has enriched the lives of over 1200 Canadian men, women, and children by providing the services of specially trained Dog Guides.

About Unitron
Unitron is a global innovator of technologically advanced hearing instruments. We care deeply about people with hearing loss and work closely with hearing healthcare professionals to make advanced, purpose-driven solutions available to everyone. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Unitron, a member of the Sonova Group, meets the needs of our customers through 18 international offices and through distributors in a further 48 countries. For more information, please visit us on the web at unitron.com/ca.

Contact:
Ann Marie Lang
Corporate Media Relations
(519) 895-0100 ext. 2104
annmarie.lang@unitron.com