Osmonds share the gift of hearing

Two of Merrill’s older brothers, Tom and Virl, have the same congenital hearing condition.

But Justin Osmond, 31, is using the family name – along with its support and clout – to help others in similar situations to get the care he has received his whole life.

“My mom and dad got me the best care available – they put me through 12 years of speech therapy, so I was able to learn to talk and to hear,” he said. “Having received that gift of better hearing, I wanted to give that to everyone.”

Justin’s desire to help others with hearing impairment is the driving force behind Osmond Hearing Centers, a new Springfield business providing hearing aid technology and hearing protection. The first retail outlet – 1618 E. Republic Road in French Quarter Plaza – held its grand opening April 10.

The Osmonds, which perform regularly at the Osmond Family Theater in Branson, are putting an undisclosed amount of its own money, combined with funds from unnamed backers, into what they think could become a national chain.

“I can say that if one of the backers who is looking at us does get involved, we’ll be in every state in the union very quickly,” said Merrill Osmond, 54. “But that’s not our style – becoming huge overnight. We want to step it up gradually.”

He said that’s part of the reason the family chose Springfield as the site of its pilot store.

“We had a choice – there were at least 10 locations that were targeted for need, and Springfield was one of them,” Merrill said. “But you don’t just spend 20 years here and then say, ‘Thanks, now goodbye.’ People here have supported us, and we wanted to pick this city to be the starting point of this dream.”

Tradition of giving

Merrill said his family members always have been taught to share their good fortune.

The Osmond Foundation was created more than 30 years ago with the goal of helping the hearing impaired, and from that foundation grew another charity: the Children’s Miracle Network, which has grown from a small televised fundraiser in 1983 to a $48 million charity that provides $2.5 billion worth of services to 17 million children each year.

The charitable work continues with the new venture; the family created the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund, named after the family matriarch, to accept broken and worn-out hearing aids for refurbishing and to support hearing aid purchases for the less fortunate. A portion of sales at the new Osmond Hearing Center will go to the fund.

But don’t be fooled by the focus on charity – the Osmonds are savvy businessmen. Aside from the family’s international recording and performing career, Merrill started a satellite communications company in the late 1970s, and he has a national real estate portfolio.

Justin’s proudest of the work he’s done around the world providing hearing aids for children; he left shortly after the grand opening in Springfield for a trip to Mexico, where he planned to provide help for 3,000 hearing-impaired kids.

“My dad taught me well,” Justin said. “He tells me that we build up our income by what we get, but we build up our lives by what we give.”[[In-content Ad]]