''Fearfully and wonderfully made". Those words changed Emma Faye's life when she was just 14 years old. As a first grader, Emma can remember sitting alone on the playground, wondering if she was destined to sit on the sidelines because of her deafness. But those words, "fearfully and wonderfully made," changed all that and helped Emma realize she could be a force for change in the deaf community. And she is. Emma is the Founder of Aid the Silent, a Texas-based nonprofit that helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children and teens receive equal access to opportunity by providing financial assistance to enhance communication methods, gain access to education resources, and improve their overall health, both mental and physical, that leads to individual growth socially, educationally and spiritually.
It's not just financial assistance that Emma and her team provide; the former Miss San Antonio has the unique ability to supply deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families the empathy and understanding it takes to navigate the world and a safe space to do it. At Aid the Silent, Emma and her team not only advocate for deaf children's health but also create a place where they can gather and feel part of the community. A much-improved space, thanks to the Lowe's Hometowns grant the organization received recently. It provided Aid the Silent with the funds to update their building, build a brand-new playground, and, most importantly, show Emma and her community how much they are cared for. Lowe's Store Manager of San Antonio, Jason Hinton, said the team of associates who showed up to volunteer was overwhelming. "I tried to explain to her how many people would be here, how strong the red vest comes when it's time to volunteer, but the day they showed up, she was impressed."
Emma was moved to tears by the show of force.
These people are here for us and our kids. Someone cares about us. Someone loves us enough to give up their whole day to make a special place to play.
Emma says it's essential for deaf and hard-of-hearing children to have a place to play and be themselves without worrying about what makes them different. Lowe's is now proud to be a part of Emma and Aid the Silent's mission to empower children in the deaf community to consider themselves fearfully and wonderfully made, too.
