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Colorado HIKE | 
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HIKE Questions and Answers
Q: What does The HIKE Funds, Inc. mean?
A: The term HIKE is an acronym for Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit charity under the law of the State of Nebraska and registered with the Internal Revenue Services as a tax exempt charity. The HIKE Fund, Inc. is the continuing charity project supported by Job's Daughters International.
Q: How to make a donation?
A: Contact Wendy Leff
Q: What is the purpose of the fund?
A: It has a two-fold purpose. First, the funds (provided in grants) assistance for children with hearing loss to achieve improved communication skills. Second, it provides a means of public awareness and public relations for Job's Daughters International..
Q: To apply, must a child be related to a Job's Daughter's family?
A: No. Any child with hearing loss between the ages of newborn and twenty years, with financial need, may apply.
Q: How do I locate a child in need of our assistance in my community?
A: Hearing clinics, school nurses, health departments, and local social services departments often identify children who need assistance.
Q: Are grants from The HIKE Fund, Inc. approved only for hearing aids?
A: No. With proper application, other hearing devices, as needed, on an individual basis may be considered for funding. Included may be enclosed caption converters for television, tactile units, FM units (into which a hearing aid is plugged for amplification), computers to assist deaf children in communicating, as well as other technical devices may be prescribed.
Q: Must a family be indigent or on welfare to qualify?
A: No. Many of the recipients are children of working parents who are unable to meet this special need financially.
Q: Must a Bethel or Jurisdiction contribute to The HIKE Fund, Inc. before they submit an application?
A: No. However, they are encouraged to participate in raising money for the fund.
Q: Where does one submit the application?
A: You may submit an application to The HIKE Fund, Inc. in care of the person listed on page three of the application form.
Q: Is there a limit to the amount of grant?
A: Each Application is considered independently. Usually grants are awarded based on the financial need of the family and according to the price indicated in the prescription accompanying the application form.
HIKE History
The HIKE Fund, Inc. (Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment Fund) collects funds to award to children who are in need of hearing aids or other assistive listening devices whose parents or guardians are unable to meet this specific need.
The HIKE Fund, Inc. was created in 1985 by Emma Tedrick and Charles Terrill, the international leaders for Job's Daughters International (JDI). The Fund was developed as the philanthropic project of the JDI, a Masonic youth organization for girls, to give the members of that organization a specific and unique charity to which they were able to devote their energies.
The first years of existence of The HIKE Fund, Inc. were focused on establishment and stability. Articles of Incorporation were filed in the State of Nebraska in 1985, and HIKE was temporarily set up as a 501(c)(3) organization with the Internal Revenue Service of the United States. During the first year of operation, approximately $20,000 was donated to the fund and awards were granted to seven children in the Philippines. Soon after, a $10,000 base endowment was placed in a certificate of deposit. In 1990, a review of the fund's records brought final ruling from the IRS for The HIKE Fund, Inc. to be considered a tax-exempt charity.
Since those early years, several things have occurred to increase the reputation and responsibility of the organization.
A. With increased donations and awards has come increased community awareness. Each year the number of applicants increases dramatically. Fortunately, the revenue of The HIKE Fund has increased such that all worthy applicants are provided funding, although there is a waiting list of up to six months for many applicants.
B. The price of hearing devices continues to inflate. The HIKE Fund, Inc. awards funds to all children and adolescents from birth to the age of 20 years that have demonstrated both a medical and financial need. Recipients can reapply for an additional award after four years. There is no limit on the number of awards given per family.
As the work of The HIKE Fund, Inc. grew, the organizational structure was modified and the size of the Board of Directors was increased to better serve the purposes of HIKE. Additional Board Members have been added and responsibilities have been modified to increase the effectiveness of HIKE. There continue to be no paid solicitors or paid Board Members. All members of the Board of Directors and all helpers and members of Job's Daughters who collect the funds are unpaid volunteers and the percentage of donations distributed to needy children approaches 95% of all funds collected.
Many challenges, both structural and financial, continue to challenge the work of The HIKE Fund, Inc. Today, though, the fund continues to prosper and has reached over $3,000,000.00 in awards to children with hearing loss in the United States and the Philippines.
The structure of The HIKE Fund, Inc. is such that it allows for the organization of 36 states from Alaska to Texas and from Hawaii to Delaware into a cohesive unit working towards a common goal.
There is also, a HIKE Fund Canada, Ltd. and a HIKE Fund Australia which serves similar needs in those countries. In the near future, there may be the establishment of a HIKE Fund Brazil as the JDI organization in that country has been giving serious consideration in establishing their own branch.