Africa Mission

The world is flat.
Dead without sound.
We all take hearing for granted because it’s always been with us.
It works 24 hours a day.
So it’s there. It’s free. It’s automatic.
But when people don't have it, they desperately want to hear.
They want to hear another person say "I love you."
And the motto of the Starkey Fund was “So the world may hear.”
Bill Austin says it best;
Alone we can only do so much but together you change the world.
It takes a team and the team that we brought with us
were a bunch of rock stars from the NFL who came to see first hand
what our foundation’s doing in Uganda and Rwanda.
I can't compare it to any type of football game I've been in.
The game that I love with all my heart and I've been playing
since I was crawling.
I love every minute of it.
I’m on a high right now. I mean I really am.
I mean I was being asked how do I feel, and I actually said I’m numb.
It’s about changing lives.
We’re giving these people hope again.
It’s just growing up in a household of ou know four sisters, two brothers.
A grandmother raising us.
She always told us you know that the more you give, the more you receive.
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.
That’s the biggest gift you can give.
Besides food, besides anything else is just time.
Ba-ba-ba.
Good!
I like to share a lot of things with my brother.
And to be able to share this; this experience is, I mean,
once in a lifetime.
Nothing.
So I mean it’s- it’s a blessing to be here.
You're a champion.
What Starkey Foundation’s doing is such a good thing
for kids who never heard a sound in their life.
You know most of the sounds that I remember vividly are,
are sounds of love.
My mom’s voice waking us up in the morning for school.
My dad yelling at me for breaking curfew.
You know things like that I always remember.
I could hear my mom screaming my name, you know, “Adrian,”
and I know the tone.
And that means you need to get to the house right now.
So she calls my name Tommy, the way that she says it,
I know that that’s Mom.
I mean these kids out here, they can't hear at all.
But to be able to fix that is just breathtaking.
I wish that all these kids here will have that chance
to hear their parents voices.
When I was a kid, I always wanted just to have someone bigger than me
come and just show me some things and teach me some things.
Some kids don't get that growing up. I know I didn't.
Watching Vernon Davis and Fontay interact with the little kids, it was priceless.
We grew up with our grandparents because our mother’s always been on drugs.
And we always wanted our mom around and she wasn't there so
you know me and my brother would always talk about it.
We need to help our mom if she will let us.
But if she doesn't, then we still need to help just all across the world.
As we touch one person, we touch the family.
As we touch the family, we touch the community.
As we touch the community, we touch the world.
I’ll never forget the moment I...
I put this hearing aid in this kid’s ear.
And... clapped my hand.
As soon as I clapped my hand it was like...
it was like a spirit just run into somebody’s body.
Ba-ba-ba-ba.
That was his- that was his response.
The first time a kid hearing my voice, and getting excited, is amazing.
I mean I can't even describe that feeling I have.
It’s addictive. It’s like a light switch.
You're watching biology happen.
You're seeing that sound hit the brain for the first time.
It’s like you've given this kid
a breath of fresh air.
I thank you very much. To do what I see.
He’s very happy.
I’m very pleased of seeing my child being born again through hearing.
Our reason for being here is to show these kids that nothing’s impossible.
I don't believe in disabilities. I believe in ability.
I don't want to leave.
I want to be able to touch as many people as I can while I’m here on earth.
You know we’re giving them the opportunity to be able to hear,
but they're giving us so much more.
You have to look at your hands and say
what will I do with these hands today?
If we’re going to change the world, we have to have the strength of many.
I’m glad I’m a part of this.
I mean it’s a miracle.