Teen Music Lover Raises $10,000 to Support Children with Hearing Loss
Inspired by her love of music, 16-year-old Peyton Schwadron organized a padel fundraiser to benefit the Debbie Institute, helping children who are deaf or hard of hearing access education, intervention and cochlear implant support.
Peyton Schwadron, 16, can’t imagine a life without music. The high schooler listens to house music throughout the day and she practices her DJ skills as a hobby. But it wasn’t until she watched the 2021 film “CODA,” about an aspiring singer who is the only hearing member of her family, that Schwadron became truly inspired to help people with hearing loss.
“Music is such an important part of my life, and it’s so special to me,” she said. “Why don’t I try to help? This is something that I’m really passionate about.”
A conversation with a family friend introduced Schwadron to the Mailman Center for Child Development’s Debbie Institute, also known as the Debbie School, within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Volunteering at the Debbie Institute
The Debbie Institute is a school for children with and without special needs to learn together within a model program where new teaching approaches are refined and future educators are trained. For more than 50 years, the school has supported the language development and learning of hundreds of students, helping them move into general education, said Lynn Miskiel, the institute’s director of audiology services.
“The programs at the Debbie Institute provide appropriate, intensive intervention that supports auditory learning and the language and speech that follows,” Miskiel said.
Schwadron started volunteering for the Debbie Institute’s Auditory Oral Education Program, which provides early educational intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, serving some 100 students each year. She wanted to make an even bigger impact, so she decided to organize a fundraising event in honor of the institute.
“The Debbie School is so important,” she said. “It’s making such a difference in the lives of children and their loved ones.”
Schwadron chose to host a fundraiser featuring one of her family’s favorite activities, padel, a racquet sport played on a closed court. Organizing the event over several months while keeping up with her high school work and activities was “very stressful” but ultimately “a great learning experience,” she said.
Serve for Sound Raises $10,000
Serve for Sound was held in November 2025 at Reserve Padel’s Miami Seaplane location, with about 75 participants. It featured a men’s, women’s and children’s tournament. The one-day event raised about $10,000, which was split between donations to the Debbie School and the Sharing Auditory Miracles (SAM) Fund, which was established through the UHealth Ear Institute’s Children’s Hearing Program (CHP) to maintain a bank of cochlear implant parts.
It can take up to three months for children to receive a new part for their cochlear implant through insurance.
“That’s 90 days of a kid not hearing, or being able to do everyday activities, just because a part broke,” Schwadron said.
The donation to the Debbie School will support services or materials for the children who attend, Miskiel said.
The Debbie School and CHP work closely together to support children with hearing loss through every stage of their development.
The CHP provides hearing evaluations and technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, while the Debbie School offers a specialized educational environment where children can build the communication and learning skills they need to thrive. Together, the programs create a seamless continuum of care for pediatric patients.
“The generosity of donors like Peyton gives us the freedom to make things special, or to bring in a piece of equipment that we might not have had otherwise,” she said. “This gives children the opportunity to have positive outcomes in their learning.”
While studies have shown that early hearing loss can affect brain development, Miskiel said, early intervention can help diminish, and even eliminate, negative impacts.
“When children who are deaf or hard of hearing receive intervention at an early age, outcomes are better,” she said. “Research demonstrates that most children who are deaf or hard of hearing receiving appropriate auditory oral services from trained staff can progress at age-appropriate rates.”
Looking Ahead to the Next Event
Schwadron, who was selected by the Miami Country Day School to present a five-minute TED talk about her efforts, said she’s already thinking about the next Serve for Sound event. She hopes to grow it, both in attendance and donations, and include professional players alongside amateurs.
And, as she enters her senior year, Schwadron is looking into career options in music, live events and early-childhood education.
For more information on supporting the Debbie Institute, email Lynn Miskiel.
For more information on supporting the SAM Fund, email Chrisanda Sanchez.
More from the Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami experts are advancing cochlear implant guidelines to improve access for Spanish-speaking patients with hearing loss.
An educational specialist at the Miller School is bridging clinical care and classroom support for children with cochlear implants.
UHealth’s first otolaryngology patient navigator is helping families overcome barriers to care, doubling pediatric cochlear implants.
Miller School experts highlight leadership in cochlear implant care at ACIA 2026, advancing research and multidisciplinary patient care.
Tags: audiology, Children's Hearing Program, Debbie Institute, Debbie School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Audiology, hearing, hearing loss, Mailman Center for Child Development, pediatric audiology, pediatrics