On June 26th, 2023 at the 31st Annual General Meeting, Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre was proud to introduce the newest Honorary Lifetime Member, Chuck Filtness. Chuck was named an Honorary Lifetime Member for his extraordinary contributions as a volunteer with our Sound of Change Initiative and embodies the Vision of IDHHC. We are grateful for his continued support and acknowledge his remarkable dedication to our Mission.
Chuck Filtness has lived in Victoria for 30+ years after a career as a seaman and then working in the forestry industry in industrial safety. He enjoys being an amateur astronomer and enjoys microscopy and finds using a microscope to give a new perspective as opposed to being awed by the vast distances of space.
Chuck got involved with IDHHC many years ago after realizing that trying to handle his hearing loss on his own just simply wasn’t working. He admits that it was difficult at first asking for help, but soon realized it was not a challenge – everyone at IDHHC was so eager to help. Speaking to others about how they were dealing with hearing loss was a tremendous benefit and he is so grateful for the help that IDHHC provided. After attending group meetings for a year or two, Chuck was asked to help sort out a “couple of bags” of tech aids – this led to processing ALL IDHHC tech aid donations and the tasks requirements to refurbish donated hearing aids for the Sound of Change Initiative.
Chuck actively solicits donations of used hearing aids and tech aids and is constantly advocating for IDHHC. He feels that working as a volunteer plus having the privilege to work with such a dedicated team is immensely rewarding. All the staff consider Chuck to be part of the team and we all thank him for his continued dedication. Because of his belief and active participation in our vision and mission Chuck Filtness was respectfully confirmed as a 2023 Honorary Lifetime Member.