Committed to Improving the Lives of People of All Ages with Hearing and Communication Challenges
History
The roots of what is now the Marion Downs Center began in 1918 when the Denver League of Hard-of-Hearing began providing community support to individuals with hearing loss. In 2015, the Marion Downs Hearing Center merged with the Center for Hearing, Speech, and Language to become the Marion Downs Center (MDC). The MDC's extraordinary legacy was built through enriching people's lives by providing innovative, caring and high-quality services for people with barriers to communication regardless of financial status. The MDC is truly community based and relies on generous support from organizations, foundations, donors, and community partners.
Success Stories
"The Marion Downs Center is great! They are the first place to really help me with my hearing in 55+ years".
- J.W.
"Thank you for all your help at a less than optimal time in my life! Fitting hearing aids post surgery was a bit crazy, but we succeeded! Your expertise in Audiology has not only improved my hearing remarkably, but very importantly, my quality of life. I thank you, as do the people with whom I come in contact, as I can now hear what they're saying the first time! What a concept! You are a true expert in your field, and a very pleasant person with whom to work."
- C Carroll
"The staff and curriculum at Marion's Way use best practices for educating the DHH as well as doing research on ways for continuous improvement. They held classes for the parents to teach us skills techniques, and approaches to use at home and in the community. The information we learned is invaluable and Connor's language, social skills, and communication showed significant improvement."
- Annie Mason
"Chase has attended Marion's Way Preschool two summers in a row. He continues to make huge strides in his education, has now been mainstreamed in public kindergarten and doing very well. Without the support, guidance and expertise from Marion's Way, Chase would not be where he is today! Today, Chase is a typical, happy, smart outgoing and socially curious 5 year old who just happens to be hard of hearing."
- Cynthia Monson
"My daughter is learning her letters and her numbers in the Early Language Literacy Program. She also knows her colors. She is very happy taking the class and her English is getting better like her older brothers, who also participated in the program and are now fluent in English and in elementary school. She is learning to get along with other children, it is a big help for us. She watches her brothers do homework and wants to do some too. It is a big help. We are very happy you can do this."
- Father of an Early Language Literacy Program Participant
"I was born with Shpritzen Syndrome and gradually my hearing kept getting worse. I had trouble understanding what was on the TV, hearing the doorbell, and other everyday things most people take for granted. It was a true miracle that Marion Downs granted me a gift of hearing aids. I totally love them and everything seems like a new world. They helped give me a new life!"
- April Kauffmann
"I have had my hearing aids for a month now and can't believe how life-changing the ability to hear so clearly is," I don't have to have the TV loudly blaring. I don't have to always ask people to repeat what they have said. I have lived in such a muted world for so long and now I can hear birds, crickets, and my kids talking clearly to me."
- Gayla Greenfield
Changing Lives

Chimie was 6 years old with bilateral severe-profound hearing loss when she began receiving audiology and speech services from the Marion Downs Center. Her hearing aids were not programmed to meet her needs; she had little interest in communication and it was challenging to keep her attention. According to her father, "The improvement in Chimie's communication and behavior is life changing. You have been a strong advocate for her needs and taught us the strategies we needed to ensure her success. We will be forever grateful."
Equipped with bilateral hearing aids, "sugar plum" sparkle earmolds, an FM system, and strategies to optimize her auditory, speech, and literacy skills, Chimie is exceeding expectations at home and in school.

Christina is a thoughtful and kindhearted 5-year-old who struggled to understand speech in everyday life and in school. MDC audiologists diagnosed her mild hearing loss at the age of 4 and fit her pink hearing aids shortly after.
Through the Marion's Way Preschool program, Christina and her family implemented strategies to help Christina maximize her auditory, speech, and literacy skills. Christina is now using a Roger system to improve hearing access in background noise and is thriving at home and school. Her speech and language development continues to improve by leaps and bounds. She is bright, compassionate, and loving to all and is a huge Rockies fan. Your support helps children like Christina grow to their full potential!
Marion's Way Preschool 2019
Service Event: Colorado Symphony
Meet Our Team
Our compassionate team of professionals are dedicated to the provision of exceptional service that changes lives.

Clinical Audiologist | President/CEO

Carolina Aranis, M.D.
Kid Screen Team Member

Speech-Language Pathologist | Director, KidScreen

Sarah Bookout, MA, CFY-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Audiology Fellow

Coordinator, KidScreen

Clinical Audiologist

Clinical Audiologist

Director of Finance and Government Relations Chief Operating Officer

Early Language Learning Outreach Lead | Kidscreen Team Member

Front Office

Vanessa Martinez
Program Support Assistant

Marion’s Way Lead Teacher

Clinical Audiologist

Marketing/Outreach Coordinator

Speech-Language Pathologist

Clinical Audiologist | Associate Director

Thomas Vickers
Occupational Hearing Conservationist
Our Board of Directors

Laura Aubert, AuD

Had Beatty
Chairman of the Board

Barbara Biddle Galoob

Dr. Stephen Cass, MD

Sandra Gabbard, PhD
MDC President and CEO

Charlie Hebeler, PhD
Board Treasurer

Linda Hood, PhD

Cliff Linhardt

Jerry Northern, PhD

Christie Morin

Jill Wayne, AuD, Secretary

Chris Writer
We also accept in-kind donations. We are looking for used hearing aids, books, arts and craft supplies, and other items for our programs.
Marion’s Legacy
January 26, 1914 – November 13, 2014
Marion Downs was a distinguished professor emerita at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she spent more than 35 years providing clinical services to patients with hearing loss. She devoted her professional life to promoting early identification of hearing loss in newborns, infants, and young children.
During her career at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Marion Downs created, developed, and evaluated a variety of techniques for testing children’s hearing and fitting them with hearing aids. She was among the first to recognize the need for babies with hearing loss to use hearing aids as early as possible. This way, during the infant’s critical development years, their speech, language, and communication skills could improve.
In 1963, Marion Downs pioneered the first national infant hearing screening program in Denver, CO. Since then, she had relentlessly pursued the identification and management of hearing loss in infants and children as a public health issue and an important medical and educational consideration. Her success has resulted in a widespread national program, which makes the screening of newborn hearing a functioning preventative program in more than 40 states across the US as well as in foreign countries.
She is recognized internationally for her work in pediatric audiology. Her publications and lectures have helped people become more alert to the importance of early intervention for hearing loss.
In 1969, Marion Downs proposed that a national committee be established to ensure that pediatric hearing loss would stay as a concern for pediatric health professionals. The committee would have representatives from various professional hearing healthcare organizations interview, evaluate, and recommend best practices to newborn hearing screening programs.
As a result of her visionary thinking, the nation’s Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) was organized to provide multidisciplinary leadership and guidance for 35 years in all areas of newborn and infant hearing issues.
Awards Received
Marion Downs received an extensive array of awards that recognize her contributions throughout her career. Among her many honors include:
In addition, she has been recognized with honors in nearly every professional hearing-related society, including:
Marion Downs was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2006. Watch this video about Marion Downs.