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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – For the third year, the Texas Roadhouse in Pelham took part in a national fundraising effort that involved all stores within the Texas Roadhouse family and benefitted the American Tinnitus Association.

The fundraiser on Monday, Feb. 5 marked Texas Roadhouse’s observance of Tinnitus Awareness Week, which runs from Feb. 5-9 and intends to inform the public about tinnitus, how it impacts various people differently and how it can be managed and possibly prevented.

The Texas Roadhouse partnership with the ATA honors the importance of community as well the life and spirit of Kent Taylor, founder of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant group, who struggled with severe and often debilitating tinnitus in the last year of his life.

“While commonly referred to as ‘ringing in the ears,’ tinnitus can manifest many different perceptions of sound that include buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing and clicking,” said Travis Doster, chief communications officer for Texas Roadhouse. “Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present.

More than 26 million adults in the United States battle tinnitus every day and to help combat the illness, the restaurants donated 100 percent of all their profits collected from dine-in and to-go orders on Feb 5 to the ATA.

“In addition to the restaurant fundraiser, through March 31, Texas Roadhouse will continue to donate ten percent from the online sales of all gift cards to the American Tinnitus Association,” Doster said.

Funds donated through these efforts go toward funding research, increasing the staffing capabilities of the ATA hotline service and to raise public awareness about tinnitus.

In raising that awareness, Texas Roadhouse shared three steps individuals can take to mitigate risks related to the development of Tinnitus. Those steps include:

•  Schedule normal ear check-ups by seeing an audiologist to monitor for hearing loss.
• Wear hearing protection, such as high-fidelity earplugs, during loud events such as concerts and at job sites to reduce the risk of hearing damage.
• Take normal and periodic noise breaks when subjected to loud environments such as sporting events to allow ears to rest and recover.

“By supporting ATA, Texas Roadhouse and our family of employees honor the life and vision of our founder, Kent Taylor, who was passionate about helping others,” Texas Roadhouse CEO and President Jerry Morgan said. “The Texas Roadhouse-ATA partnership is driven by the heartfelt desire to ensure that everyone is aware of tinnitus, its prevention and what can be done to manage it.”

Those interested in learning more about tinnitus or would like help managing it are encouraged to contact the ATA hotline at 800-634-8978 or visit ATA.org.