Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KLRN DEBUTS NEW DIGITAL SERIES HANK AND EMMA FAYE
TO TEACH CHILDREN SIGN LANGUAGE, INCLUSIVITY, AND KINDNESS

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: December 17, 2020
KLRN Public Television, the PBS station serving South Central Texas, announces a new video series aimed at teaching children sign language, social emotional development, and normalizing those with differing abilities.

Debuting in December, Hank and Emma Faye is an educational video series that features Emma Faye Rudkin, former Ms. San Antonio and Founder & Executive Director of Aid the Silent. Together, with her hearing dog, Hank, Emma Faye will introduce viewers to words in sign language and talk about emotions in a way that helps children properly recognize and discuss how they are feeling.

Hank and Emma Faye will be available to speak to the media on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19 from 10am-Noon at KLRN Public Television (501 Broadway, SATX, 78215). Please contact Katrina Kehoe if you need additional information. Media interviews will be socially distanced. Masks will be required and temperatures will be taken at the door.

“Having Hank and Emma Faye teach kids a word in sign language opens the door to a deeper understanding of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and the value of sign language,” says Shari St. Clair, Executive Producer of Hank and Emma Faye. “Our hope is the one-minute videos will normalize speaking and signing, by making it interesting and fun. We’re delighted to have Hank and Emma Faye on board with us to share these life lessons.”

“Most of my workdays are spent with children at school teaching them valuable lessons like inclusion, diversity, how to be friends with someone with a disability, or how to treat each other kindness,” says Emma Faye Rudkin, Host of Hank & Emma Faye.

“During the first week of COVID lockdowns, I was heartbroken for children who were missing the rest of their school year and the loss of friendships and possible learning delays. Quickly, my mind shifted to how to come up with an inventive solution to reach children in a difficult time. The Hank and Emma Faye Show came to life with KLRN PBS. This is a wonderful platform on which to share these messages and both Hank and I are very excited.”

Hank & Emma Faye premieres on KLRN in December 2020. Watch all episodes any time by visiting www.klrn.org/hankemmafaye or on the KLRN YouTube Channel.

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ABOUT KLRN
KLRN is the Emmy-Award winning public television station for South Central Texas broadcasting to a 33-county radius from Laredo, through San Antonio and up to Hill Country. The mission of KLRN is to open a world of lifelong learning through trustworthy and enriching programs on-air, online and in our community. Through four broadcast channels, community screening events and discussions, and a robust educational department that reaches children, families and teachers, KLRN is committed to being a community entity that informs, entertains and inspires our diverse and growing communities. Learn more at www.klrn.org

ABOUT AID THE SILENT
Aid the Silent is 501c3 nonprofit founded by deaf advocate, Emma Faye Rudkin. Aid the Silent is a system of support for four main programs: deaf education, deaf awareness, deaf ministry and deaf resources. The overall mission is to aid economically disadvantaged deaf children and teens to reach their full potential and to live life more richly by providing funds to receive hearing and speech resources (hearing aids, FM systems, speech therapy), ASL lessons, ministry-related activities and education enrichment programs. Learn more at aidthesilent.com