GOSHEN — When Kaeclin “KC” Shepard was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 6 1⁄2, her family did not immediately grasp what that meant.&nbsp;Her parents, Tony and Kari Shepard, did not realize they would spend sleepless nights closely monitoring Kaeclin’s blood sugar, or that they would need to fight her in her sleep to feed her fast- acting sugar like Smarties. They did not realize that nearly every cabinet in their home would be stocked with medical supplies, or that they would need to inject a long needle in Kaeclin’s skin every few days.&nbsp;Kaeclin, who is now a 9-year-old Model Elementary student, did not realize she would no longer be able to attend slumber parties or ride her bike out of her parents’ sight.&nbsp;And Kaeclin’s older sister, Khylin, did not realize she would no longer be able to share treats and would be forced to watch her little sister grow up faster than any kid should.&nbsp;While the family is still praying for a cure, it has found the next best thing: a dog named Charli that has been trained to alert the family if Kaeclin’s blood sugar is out of the safe range.&nbsp;“I like how she loves on me and kisses me,” Kaeclin said, pausing for a deep breath, “and how she can save my life one day.”&nbsp;<h2>TYPE 1 DIABETES</h2>It was the summer before Kaeclin’s first-grade year when her family knew something was wrong.&nbsp;Kaeclin rapidly lost about 10 pounds and started demanding drinks more often. She also couldn’t make it through an entire Little League game without taking a bathroom break. Kari recognized the symptoms as type 1 diabetes because one of her close friends had been diagnosed as a kid, but she also held on to hope that it could be a urinary tract infection.&nbsp;The family scheduled an appointment for tests with a doctor, but Kaeclin was rushed to Lutheran Hospital of Indiana in Fort Wayne when the results came back. A diagnosis was confirmed June 23, 2012: Type 1 diabetes.&nbsp;The disease, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is typically diagnosed in children and young adults. Only 5 percent of people with diabetes are classified as Type 1, according to the American Diabetes Association.&nbsp;Doctors are not entirely sure what causes the disease beyond genetic dispositions, but they know it is not caused by a poor diet or lack of exercise.In patients with Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas and the body then fails to produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life Type 1 diabetes is treatable through insulin therapy, which requires patients to inject doses of insulin into their body to balance factors like food, exercise, stress and emotions.&nbsp;Treating the disease is a balancing act, because too much insulin can cause the body to burn too much glucose and blood sugar can drop to a dangerously low level.&nbsp;Kaeclin has battled with highs and lows. The highs — which, if left untreated, can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart and can also lead to coma and death — leave her feeling sluggish and tired. The lows cause her to feel light-headed and dizzy.&nbsp;During the first year of Kaeclin’s battle with diabetes, she depended entirely on insulin shots.&nbsp;“Any time she ate, she’d have a shot,” Kari said. “Her diet was very limited and she didn’t get snacks very often.”&nbsp;Kaeclin has become a pro at reading nutrition labels — anytime she eats something, she’s required to carefully calculate how many carbohydrates she’s ingesting.&nbsp;“She went from an extremely free-willed child to having to tell Mom and Dad where she is 110 percent of the time,” Kari said. “It’s not that we weren’t parenting before, but now we have to basically be a body part for her. We’re not just Mom and Dad, we’re her pancreas.”&nbsp;Eventually Kaeclin started using an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitoring system, but the new technology still requires careful maintenance. Kaeclin is still poked with a long needle every day for the insulin pump, and that leaves tubing under the skin. The monitor requires a separate injection for the sensor, and Kaeclin still carefully watches her food intake.&nbsp;A device and watch connected to the CGM allow Kari and Tony to monitor Kaeclin’s levels constantly — but the number is delayed by several minutes, unlike the nose of a dog.&nbsp;<h2>CHOOSING CHARLI</h2>That strong nose is especially good for finding the chicken bone in the trash or the squirrel shimmying up the tree in the backyard — but fortunately for Kaeclin, it is also good for detecting rapid changes in blood sugar levels.&nbsp;Kari spent four months researching a reputable training company after the family decided to invest in a diabetic alert dog, coming across horror stories and lawsuits in the process.&nbsp;There is no regulation of service dogs for diabetes, and some breeders have been accused of selling untrained or improperly trained dogs for upward of $25,000. But then Kari came across a place in Nebraska called Heads Up Hounds that did not have a single negative review. The organization trains rescue dogs — in return for having their lives saved, the dogs can save the lives of diabetics.&nbsp;While other trainers breed dogs specifically for the job, Heads Up Hounds first accepts diabetic clients and then searches shelters within a 100-mile radius to find the perfect dog. Among the criteria: The dog must weigh between 30 and 80 pounds, be between the ages of 1 and 3, cannot be too hyper and must love treats.&nbsp;Training takes several months. The clients are asked to chew on cotton swathes when their blood sugar falls or spikes, which the dogs then use to figure out when to alert.&nbsp;Sometimes, even several months into training, a dog can wash out — it happened twice to the Shepards. KC first had her heart set on a yellow Lab she named HiLo, but the dog was anxious. A second yellow Lab washed out too.&nbsp;But then Charli, a black Lab, was surrendered to a shelter and found by Heads Up Hounds. She passed all the tests and was even taken to a local swim school for training because Kaeclin spends a lot of time around the water at her family’s business, Shepard Swim School.&nbsp;The Shepards traveled to Nebraska in late March for three days of intensive training with Charli and her Heads Up Hounds trainer. The family learned about Charli, her commands, training tips, rules and how to handle her in restaurants and public areas.&nbsp;Charli came home with Kaeclin on March 29, but the training will continue for the rest of her life. Charli still gets distracted by animals, but she’s starting to listen to Kaeclin and Tony more.&nbsp;Charli goes everywhere with the family except for school, but that’s the next step.&nbsp;The family is working to educate the public that Charli is a working dog and it is not OK to pet her or feed her. She needs to devote all of her attention to Kaeclin and stay alert in the case of a drastic blood sugar change.&nbsp;Even as Charli makes herself at home in Goshen, the Heads Up Hounds team keeps in touch with the Shepards.&nbsp;“We have contact with them daily if we choose, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes on the phone,” Kari said. “They tweak things and help us adjust. They’re really with us for the entire journey.”<h2>A DIABETIC’S BEST FRIEND</h2>Kaeclin had always wanted a dog but her parents never agreed. Kari suffers from bad allergies — although from what she considers a miracle, Charli does not bother her health — and Tony always thought it would be best to wait until the family moved to a home with more land.&nbsp;But there was no answer except for “yes” when the dog could save their daughter’s life.&nbsp;“As a parent, that’s been the hardest part to deal with,” Tony said. “The fact that at any moment, any time, we can lose KC. That’s why we’re going to give her any medical device and any opportunity to have a long life.”&nbsp;Charli is already picking up on dangerous blood sugar levels by alerting Tony or Kaeclin by nudging her nose into their hands. A few weeks ago, Kaeclin was at church when Charli alerted her and Tony. Kaeclin’s monitor was reading 80, but when she used a test strip to check her blood sugar, it was only 52.&nbsp;“Charli notified them of a low number that Kaeclin couldn’t feel, and she was also way ahead of technology,” Kari said. “We are so thankful she caught this low, that could have been dangerously going lower.”&nbsp;Kari said in the nearly three years Kaeclin has been battling the disease, she has never seen her daughter happier. Kaeclin loves to rub Charli’s belly and rest her head on top of her while she sleeps. Kari has even caught Kaeclin curled up on the floor of her bedroom next to Charli, who is not allowed on the bed.&nbsp;“There’s the medical aspect to this dog, but also a special bond,” Tony said. “Diabetes is tough enough, but Charli gives her a buddy to go through it with her and help her with it.”&nbsp;Charli has helped Kaeclin with a lot, she said. Kaeclin had been bullied at school for her medical equipment, and one boy in her class last year even threatened her. Since that happened, she was scared to walk upstairs alone or go to the bathroom alone. She would never enter the house first, or even wander into a different room alone, Kari said.&nbsp;That changed when Kaeclin learned Charli would protect her.&nbsp;“My dad walked in one night and Charli heard something downstairs and started barking,” she said. “She’s like my guard dog.”&nbsp;Now Kaeclin will go upstairs by herself to get something with Charli and she goes to the bathroom alone. She even sleeps with the lights off and the door closed.&nbsp;“She feels comfort, protection and has finally overcome this huge fear,” Kari said. “Who knew Charli would bring so much more to Kaeclin and our family than alerting low and high blood sugar? She is my hero.”

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Rescue dog named Charli helps Goshen girl battle highs, lows of type 1 diabetes

• Maintained relationships with the superintendents and school boards of Elkhart County's seven public school districts.&nbsp;• Visited all 55 public schools in the newspaper’s coverage area to learn from teachers and students in order to highlight positive and innovative education experiences.• Served on PBS panel discussion regarding standardized test scores alongside politicians and superintendents.

Education Reporter

health

Do you feel compelled to respond to every spam email and cold email you receive? Probably not.&nbsp;Receiving a gift of tangible value -- whether physically or via a digital gift card -- is a different story. It all comes down to science: When you receive a gift, you feel a psychological need to reciprocate.Savvy B2B sales professionals are using that psychological response to their advantage by sending gifts to meet sales goals. From scheduling that first meeting to celebrating a contract renewal, corporate gifts are a proven way to move customers through the sales process.However, if it’s not done with care, corporate gifts can also feel tacky and unmemorable.As studies of corporate gifting have found, it’s not just what you send as a gift that matters. The timing, delivery and message will determine whether you’re ignored or whether you make the sale.Trying to navigate all those factors to make sure your gift is well-received can sound overwhelming to sales representatives who are already working overtime finding new leads, generating quotes and performing back-to-back demos on Zoom. Bluebird can help.Bluebird is a platform that uses smart integrations to send automated notecards, personalized gifts and digital gift cards to prospects, customers and other team members. The software seamlessly syncs with popular sales tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Gmail and weaves into the sales funnel.&nbsp;The Bluebird system has tripled response rates and resulted in a 400 percent increase in sales leads accepted for some of the leading companies who trust the automation.From digital Starbucks cards that are refunded if they’re not redeemed to branded apparel and tech gadgets, Bluebird manages both the automation and the distribution of corporate gifts.<h2>Corporate Gifting without the Corporate Hassle</h2>It is clear that a corporate gifting campaign can help you land a contract. But is it worth the time?Corporate gifting used to require teams to identify prospects, browse Amazon for a gift, request permission to use the company card, try to track down the right address for the prospect, follow-up to make sure the gift was received, and then track all of that in the company CRM. Although those kinds of campaigns can yield results, they don’t last long because they’re too labor-intensive.&nbsp;Bluebird offers the advantages of personalized corporate gift campaigns, but eliminates all of the hassle with automation and expansive distribution and supply networks.Now, a company can grant each sales representative a pre-authorized budget for gifts. Using data and analytics from your existing tech stack, Bluebird can automatically send an email to a list of contacts with a digital gift card to Starbucks included. All the interactions are recorded in your CRM for you, and you’ll receive a refund on the gift card if it’s not redeemed.&nbsp;Although a handwritten note can never be truly automated, it can at least be taken off your plate. Bluebird packages a handwritten note with every delivery so that your gift will stand out from the crowd and land you a sale.<h2>The Right Gift for the Right Time &nbsp;</h2>Although corporate gifts play an important role in business relationships at all levels, the first one is arguably the most important.&nbsp;With the average professional receiving more than 100 emails every day, how do you cut through that noise? Intelligent gifting.&nbsp;Smart and personalized giving is the secret sauce for booking that first meeting, making sure they actually show up, finalizing the deal and welcoming your new customer on board.Corporate gifts can make help build your relationship at any step in the sales funnel, and Bluebird will show you how.&nbsp;<h2>Corporate Gifts for Scheduling Meetings &nbsp;</h2>Rejection hurts. Even if your email does land in the primary inbox or your call isn’t sent straight to voicemail, there’s always a very real possibility that the answer to a meeting will be: “No.”&nbsp;But you’re not above bribery — at least not at this stage in the relationship.Offering a small gift does two things:<ul><li>It shows that you mean business. Offering something of value can help you build trust with a client or organization.</li><li>It recognizes that their time is valuable. Many people are stretched thin in the workplace and are fiercely protective of their time. Offering to compensate a potential customer with a cup of coffee or another small gift will make them feel more generous with their schedule. &nbsp;</li></ul>Bluebird’s digital gift cards are an affordable way to entice leads to book a meeting. But don’t shy away from big gestures if you’re confident they’ll pay off.&nbsp;<h3>Amazon gift card</h3>It’s easy to ignore a sales email. The message may seem personal and friendly enough, but you just know that it’s a mailmerge being sent to hundreds of other prospects who match the criteria.But what if an Amazon gift card is attached to that email? There’s no way that company can afford to send Amazon gift cards to hundreds or thousands of cold leads — or is there?&nbsp;With Bluebird’s Bulk Engagement feature, you can upload a CSV file with your contacts and digital gift card links will be generated automatically. Any gift cards that aren’t redeemed are refunded to your account.<h3>Yeti coffee mug</h3>In the midst of a global pandemic, people are not so keen on meeting up with strangers in coffee shops. Instead, mail your hottest leads a nice Yeti coffee mug with a personalized note asking them to join you for a virtual cup of coffee.&nbsp;<h3>A Cameo message from a celebrity</h3>Your invitation to lunch may be easy enough to turn down, but no one turns down Chuck Norris or Brett Farve. While Bluebird’s platform capitalizes on the power of automation, sometimes one-time gifts are worth the extra effort. For a unique and unforgettable meeting invitation, pay for a celebrity to make introductions on your behalf. Browse the available celebrities on cameo.com, craft the perfect message and wait for the meeting to be accepted on your calendar.<h3>Business book</h3>Find a popular business book that demonstrates the value of your product (the key word here is “popular” — not a self-published Kindle book that only has 10 downloads) and send it to people who might be interested in learning more. Even if they turn down your initial meeting request, they might change their mind when they finally make time to read that book that’s been sitting on their desk for the past month.‍<h2>Corporate Gifts to Reinforce Scheduled Meetings &nbsp;</h2>That account manager you’re trying to woo is busy. So busy, in fact, that they will likely begin purging unnecessary meetings off their calendar.&nbsp;“Sorry, a big project came up and I’ll need to cancel. Can we reconnect when I have my head above water again?”Translation? “It was a good try, but you’ll probably never hear from me again.”Avoid being ghosted by sending a Meeting Reinforcer. These gifts serve as friendly reminders that you are offering something of value in exchange for their time. It is a lot harder to cancel a meeting at the last minute when you know your meal has already been paid for (psst… your client doesn’t need to know that your gift card is auto-refunded by Bluebird if it’s not redeemed).&nbsp;Create an integration with your calendar to send gifts to your new client meetings, and Bluebird will make sure you’re never stood up again.<h3>A leather-bound notebook</h3>Landed a meeting with a potential partner? Pair this with a meeting reminder and a personal message reading: “Take notes, because we’re going to make big things happen for both of us.” A quality notebook has lasting impact — anytime they grab for something to jot down an idea, they’ll think of you and your thoughtfulness.<h3>Meal delivery</h3>Virtual meetings have become more common through the COVID-19 pandemic, but what is still unexpected: A meal delivered for your next meeting. Check what meal delivery services are available in your client’s area and send them credit to order a lunch of their choice from Uber Eats or DoorDash.&nbsp;<h3>Assortment of organic coffees and teas</h3>Give your potential client a break from the lukewarm breakroom coffee and offer them a taste of doing business with you. Use Bluebird to automatically send your gift the week of your meeting with a handwritten reminder of the appointment.(Bonus points for this one if you sent a coffee mug to schedule the meeting. Your consistency will pay off.)<h2>Corporate Gifts That Accelerate Deals</h2>The waiting game is hard — unless you know how to play it right.You made the cold call, landed a meeting and thought you sealed the deal… but suddenly it’s crickets.In this case, no news is not good news. Rather than sending that generic “wanted to check if you had any questions about the contract” email, try a thoughtful gift with a personalized note. Bluebird can automatically add a task in your CRM a few days after you send a proposal to a new lead. If you’re worried that your gift will come off as a bribe, try framing the handwritten note that accompanies it as a token of appreciation for their consideration.These gifts can put a smile on a customer’s face and a signature on that contract. Baked goods can win over anyone with a sweet tooth, or you can base your gift on your client’s industry.<h3>Cookies</h3>Cookies are for closers. Remember that, and your deal won’t crumble. Send a box of sweets with a handwritten note and you just might trigger a Pavlovian response: When your client thinks of your company, their mouth will start watering and they’ll be scrambling for more. Bluebird partners with local businesses that offer edible goods so your gift feels even more authentic.<h3>Portable charging bank</h3>Everyone dreads a dead phone battery in the middle of a busy day on the go. Give your business agreement a boost with a portable charger. Let your potential client know how much your meeting energized you, or let them know that you’re always standing by when they feel like they’re running on empty.<h3>Terrarium or succulent</h3>Plants are often safe gifts to accelerate a contract because they’re modest and not-too-personal. Paired with a note about how you look forward to seeing how your relationship grows, a terrarium or succulent planter is a great way to stay at the top of their mind.<h3>Lotion or bath set</h3>If you are hoping to win over someone who works on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, a nice set of lotions and soaps with mild scents would be appreciated to reverse the effects of all the hand sanitizer. Your handwritten note can thank them for considering your proposal and for playing an essential role in the pandemic.<h3>Recycled tote bag</h3>If you’re courting a green company, show them you appreciate and respect their dedication to preserving the environment by sending a recycled cotton tote bag. They’ll appreciate the attention you paid to their mission so much that you can consider this deal in the bag.<h3>Blue light glasses</h3>If you work in the SaaS industry, blue-light blocking glasses can be a thoughtful way to accelerate a deal. If they’re interested in your product, they’re obviously spending some time on a computer screen. Show them you care by giving their eyes some relief from the screen.&nbsp;<h2>Corporate Gifts That Are Great for Onboarding</h2>Buyer’s remorse happens in business relationships. A customer who was so excited to work with you suddenly wants out. Knowing that buyer’s remorse typically strikes in the first few days after a new contract, companies can prevent it from ever creeping in by offering reassurance.By sending a gift and handwritten note when you onboard a new company or client, you are acknowledging that the client has put trust in you to deliver on your promises. They’ll feel more comfortable in their decision to work with you when they receive your package in the mail with a personal note. Even better, they’ll feel like part of your team if they’re gifted an item with your logo.&nbsp;<h3>A durable backpack or laptop bag</h3>Send a notecard to your new partner or employee that you appreciate how much they will be bringing to the team, and that you’ve sent a bag for them to store it all. They will proudly sport your logo on their new bag when they feel appreciated and welcomed onboard.<h3>A pair of branded socks</h3>Onboarding is the perfect time to add your logo to a gift. Now that they’re part of your team, the gift won’t feel like a piece of free advertising. Show your new client what a great pair you’ll make by sending them socks from your Bluebird onboarding box.&nbsp;<h3>Branded headphones</h3>Tell your newest client that you can’t wait to listen to what they have to say by sending them a set of high-quality branded headphones. They will be put to good use during all those Zoom meetings over the course of your relationship.<h3>A donation to charity</h3>Not every onboarding gift must be branded. You can also welcome someone on board with a thoughtful gesture like a donation to their favorite nonprofit. (Tip: Many charities will send a letter or email about the gift on your behalf.) Pair it with a handwritten note about how you’re so grateful to have them on board that you wanted to share some of your appreciation with a good cause.<h3>Portable speaker</h3>Your new business partnership is going to rock. A portable Bluetooth speaker with your brand engraved will communicate your excitement.<h2>Corporate Gifts to Help with Renewals and Upsells</h2>Don’t stop sending thoughtful and personalized corporate gifts just because you already landed the deal. Show your most loyal partners, clients and vendors how much you appreciate them with a well-timed corporate gift.&nbsp;Use Bluebird’s intelligent integrations to automate annual gifting. Most corporate gifting happens during the holiday season, but gifts automated to send on important anniversaries are much more memorable.&nbsp;Show your client you remember them on an important date (a birthday, a company anniversary, or one of those silly national holidays), and they’ll be more likely to remember you when it’s time to sign a new contract.<h3>Champagne gift basket</h3>Take time to celebrate with your client. After you hit a big milestone together, send a bottle of premium champagne and flutes to say “cheers” to your continued relationship.<h3>Umbrella</h3>Especially this year, clients and their account representatives have navigated huge hurdles and it has required nearly everyone to change the way they work. People appreciate corporate gifts that are practical, but they’ll especially appreciate the message the umbrella sends: “We’ve weathered this storm together.”<h3>Desk calendar</h3>Just before the New Year, send an elegant desk calendar to your client to let them know how excited you are about the things to come in the next year. Not only is a calendar practical (which is always appreciated in a gift), the passing days and months will remind your client of your long history together.&nbsp;<h3>Fitbit or activity tracker</h3>If your new client is particularly athletic or active, convince them you’ll go the extra mile for them by sending an activity tracker. That big gesture might be exactly what they needed to go with your premium package.&nbsp;<h3>Spa treatment</h3>Work can be stressful. If you’ve navigated through a particularly chaotic or challenging time with a client or employee, treat them with a gift certificate for a massage or an at-home zen kit. By acknowledging their mental health needs, you’re showing that you care about them on a personal level on top of your professional relationship. That’s not something easy to forget.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h2>Don’t forget to personalize your corporate gift</h2>Whether you send a cup of coffee or an expensive bottle of champagne, your message won’t be as powerful without a handwritten note to accompany it. The ink on paper tells a client you appreciate their relationship and their business enough to go beyond the quick email or phone call.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you’re already swamped trying to deliver the products and services you promised, how can you possibly keep track of the cards and gifts that need to be sent throughout the year? You leave it to Bluebird.A happy team of people with great penmanship craft a beautiful handwritten message based on the information you provide in the notes of your order. Bluebird has already generated more than 2 million handwritten characters and saved more than 2,500 hours by marketing and fulfillment reps.&nbsp;Find out how Bluebird can help you set and forget your corporate gifting to land more sales in less time.

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The Best Corporate Gifts And When To Use Them

Offer story-driven marketing services in the areas of content, design, strategy and development. Selected projects and accomplishments: Directed content strategy for Futurestay as the SaaS start-up successfully raised $11 million in Series A funding.<ul><li>• Used content (including webinars, ebooks, video, case studies, press releases, blogs &amp; more) to drive a 533% increase in organic traffic</li></ul>Served as the director of digital communications for the grassroots campaign of U.S. Congressional candidate Pat Hackett.<ul><li>• Earned media coverage from the New York Times, Newsweek, Marie Claire, NBC News, Time Magazine, among others</li><li>• 75% of voters contacted through campaign turned out to vote, compared with just 47% overall turnout</li></ul>Acted as copy lead on agile sprint testing campaigns. Used in-depth discovery work and user personas to draft, test &amp; iterate on messaging to drive growth.<ul><li>• Reduced CPC by 53% for electric vehicle rental start-up Borrow</li><li>• Achieved a CPI 33% lower than global iOS average for Morty, an app for escape room enthusiasts</li></ul>

Creative Director & Founder

technology

business

When Cody Hall, a mechanical engineer from Elkhart, visited Malawi on a mission trip, there was a single phrase that stuck with him: “Madzi ndi moyo.”

It means “water is life.”

“This is not water for shaving. This isn’t water for washing your motorcycle,” Cody said. “This is the water you drink. It’s the water you cook with. It’s the water you give your children that sustains them. It’s what life is based on and you can’t live without it.”

But water systems require regular maintenance, which can be time-consuming or even dangerous in war-torn countries.

That is why an Elkhart-based organization has developed a universal satellite monitoring system that reports data on the health of water systems in underdeveloped countries. 

The SonSetLink™ water monitor can track anything from the number of gallons flowing from a single system on any given day to the levels of chlorination in that water.

Water systems fail, and our water partners often don’t realize it until it’s too late – or they waste time checking on pumps that don’t need maintenance. The SonSetLink™ water monitor  provides data that informs maintenance crews and helps them plan routine and emergency pump maintenance . The result? Clean water keeps flowing.

SonSet Solutions has deployed more than 750 water monitoring units to more than 25 countries across the world so far.

One of the units has been installed in a remote village in the Ecuadorian jungle. The water system failed one day, and the village gathered to figure out what to do. A man from the village soon embarked on a long journey to the offices of the organization that installed the water system. After an eight-hour walk through the jungle and a four-hour bus ride, he finally arrived.

But thanks to the SonSetLink™ water monitoring system, the team had already learned of the system failure and had pulled the schematics to begin the troubleshooting process.

However, the man’s journey was not in vain.

“He arrived just in time to learn about possible failures and their repair procedures, and to collect the equipment needed to restore the flow of clean water in record time,” said Doug Weber, creative director for SonSet Solutions. “Does water monitoring really make a difference? It did for this village.”

**ABOUT SONSET SOLUTIONS
**
SonSet Solutions is an Elkhart-based nonprofit that aims to provide technology-based solutions to advance the Gospel worldwide. The organization believes that technology can expand the reach and deepen the impact of ministries around the world. In addition to the SonSetLink™ water monitors, SonSet Solutions specializes in building portable, solar-powered radio receivers and establishing radio stations to bring hope to communities around the world. 

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SonSet Solutions keeps clean water flowing with satellite monitor

nonprofit

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - Cool jazz tunes from Dave Brubeck waft down the hallways of the Roosevelt STEAM Academy.The music is heard outside of classrooms where students are tapping away on their keyboards or programming robots. In other areas of the school, it is drowned out by the sound of third-graders playing songs such as “Hot Cross Buns” on their wind and string instruments.The soft soundtrack played over the school’s loudspeaker is just one way the school is incorporating music into its daily operations.On Tuesday, musicians from the Longy School of Music of Bard College sat side by side with students and learned what has been happening at the school since it underwent a transformation at the beginning of the year.In addition to being the first school in Elkhart County to take a STEAM - science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - approach to learning, the school is one of the first in the country to implement a music program known as El Sistema.El Sistema is a music education program from Venezuela that uses rigorous music study to develop contributing and productive citizens.Emily Kubitskey, the wind ensemble director of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and an El Sistema advocate, observed the program in action and said she was impressed to see the level of support and collaboration already in place at Roosevelt.“It’s incredible,” she told The Elkhart Truth.El Sistema was designed to serve the neediest students with the fewest resources, making Roosevelt a good test site for the program.Eighty percent of the school’s students qualify for free- or reduced-price meals, according to the Indiana Department of Education, and a quarter of them are English language learners.But El Sistema seems to be overcoming those challenges using music, the visitors noted.Each third-grader at Roosevelt is assigned an instrument - families were not required to pay anything extra to cover the costs - and they play together regularly as an ensemble.On the white board in Todd Neuenschwander’s music classroom is a guide to how students should act in orchestra.“Always act in a way that helps the group get better,” it reads in the center.From that bubble are arrows to directions like “Be responsible, “Use kindness in your voice,” ”Work together to solve problems” and “Come to school every day.”Bradley Sheppard, director of secondary instruction for Elkhart Community Schools, said those ideas also apply to being a good citizen.Kubitskey pointed out that that is what El Sistema is about - schools are not teaching students to play the flute to become a classical musician, but rather to be a strong leader.The Roosevelt students performed their first concert at an open house Dec. 17, when parents were invited to see what kind of projects are in the works.School events like literacy nights rarely get a large turnout, but more than 500 showed up to Roosevelt Elementary that night.Roosevelt Principal Jeff Komins said it was that night that he realized just how much of a difference El Sistema is making.He said students were dragging their parents around the building to show off their projects, and parents were comfortable in the school setting.Students are also excited about the program.Third-grader Maylina Forest-Shuler, who likes playing the drums and bells, said she feels smarter and knows more words since she has learned an instrument.She also said the daily music lessons help with the rest of her schoolwork.“It helps you to focus more because you have more hands-on and more learning to do,” she said.Although El Sistema and the focus on the arts is a central and unique program at Roosevelt, it is only one of five emphasized topics. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are also taught at the academy.The STEAM approach allows students to explore those topics through hands-on lessons in and out of the classroom.Students toured Conn-Selmer in October to learn about how the instruments - the same ones they play each day at school - are made.They started at the end of the tour, examining the completed instruments that come out of the major Elkhart-based instrument manufacturer, and then doubled back and watched as a tube of metal was shaped into a flute with a lip plate and keys.And at the Dec. 17 open house, students were demonstrating how they had programmed robots to score soccer goals.“It all becomes infused,” said John Hill, Elkhart Community School’s assistant superintendent for instruction. “When we stop looking at subjects in isolation, students start connecting.”Because it is only the first year of the STEAM Academy at Roosevelt, it is too early to look at quantitative measures of success like test scores or attendance rates.But stories from teachers, students, parents and administrators indicate the approach is changing the school for the better.Komins said requiring all students to wear a uniform takes the focus off of trendy clothing and puts it back on learning, resulting in better behavior among students.Retired teacher Jan Thomas, who taught orchestra for 22 years, can also testify to the better behavior. She volunteers as a mentor in the music classes and said she was impressed by how well Roosevelt students behave in the hallway.“Kids are paying better attention in class, they’re not sitting there like little machines,” she said. “They are all working together to help each other do something really good. How can it not succeed?”

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