The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation is a charitable and educational organization dedicated to assisting families facing the issues associated with raising a hearing challenged child, to help them provide the gift of a lifetime … the gift of sound and speech. Established to become a national resource for the hearing challenged and their families, it was inspired by Weiss’s own experience in seeking to provide his deaf daughter with the best chance of success in a hearing world. Barton’s persistent search for experts in the field of pediatric hearing and speech therapy led him cochlear implants - electronic devices that enable hearing for most deaf patients - as an option. His daughter’s first implant was at seven months, followed by a second at ten months. Today, the positive results are evident as she is an alert toddler, responsive to voices as well as sounds in her environment. She has begun forming words and is on her path to verbal communication. Through the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation, parents with hearing challenged children will be informed as to the viability of cochlear implants and their subsequent quality of life effects. It will: Establish resource network for the hearing challenged Provide guidance throughout the pre-and-post- diagnosis phases Support auditory-verbal training and educational programming, Offer financial assistance, as well as mentoring, to families with implanted children.