ASL Friends Seek to Make Marco ASL-Friendly

ASL (American Sign Language) Friends hosted its first annual golf outing, ASL Fore ALL, in early June at the Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club in south Naples, Florida. An early morning rainbow held back the rain as our community rallied together supporting deaf children and literacy. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors, golfers, volunteers, and donors, the event exceeded expectations! The money, part of ongoing fundraising efforts by ASL Friends, will be used to produce a one-week series of programming for deaf children, planned to be released at a future date. 

What is ASL FRIENDS?

ASL Friends is a nonprofit organization that provides young, deaf children quality resources in American Sign Language (ASL) such as the Mister Rogers’ ASL Friends video series. Dr. Paul Nussbaum shared with the golfers on why language is so important:

“When any little baby cannot hear, they can’t develop language. If they can’t develop language, their brain will not develop. They will essentially graduate high school at the fourth-grade reading level and fall behind in all aspects of society,” said Dr. Nussbaum, a renowned Neuropsychologist and player in the Marco Island Senior Softball League.  

Pilot research revealed that deaf children and their hearing families learned 70 signs from one 30-minute episode of Mister Rogers’ ASL Friends. Said ASL Founder Kimberly Nussbaum, “It meant a lot to Fred Rogers to communicate with deaf children.”

Learn ASL This FALL

While the 2024 version of ASL Fore ALL is history, stay tuned for more information on upcoming ASL learning opportunities for all ages planned for Marco Island this fall.  Anticipated activities to include: ASL Game Night, ASL Sign-Alongs, and ASL Classes.  Interested?  Please email Kimberly: kim@aslfriends.org.

You Can Always Join the ASL Friends Team! Donations are Appreciated in the Following Ways: 

1. Send checks payable to ASL Friends to: Kimberly Nussbaum, 140 Seaview Ct, Unit 1802N, Marco Island, FL 34145

2. Visit:  www.aslfriends.org  & Click Donate at the top of the page.

3. Send through Zelle.

ASL learning is for all healthy brains.” -Dr. Nussbaum