IT WAS A WINNING WEEK FOR WEST NOBLE BASKETBALL TEAMS: SEE PAGE 6
The
THURSDAY DECEMBER 5, 2013
Advance
Leader
An edition of THE NEWS SUN
75 cents Ligonier, Indiana, USA On the web at: kpcnews.com Vol. 129, No. 49
Christmas events set for Ligonier, Cromwell Santa to be in Ligonier Saturday; at Cromwell library on Dec. 14 LIGONIER — Santa Claus and other Christmas-time visitors will be seen throughout the West Noble area in the coming weeks. First up, on Saturday morning the Ligonier Fire Department and the city’s Chamber of Commerce will present “Breakfast with Santa� at the fire station in Ligonier. Serving hours for breakfast of pancakes and sausage will be 7-11 a.m. Santa will be on hand from 9-11 a.m., and all area children are invited to visit and receive a gift bag from the chamber. Donations will be accepted for
breakfast with all funds going to to the fire department’s adopted families for the holidays. In Cromwell, the town’s community Christmas tree will be lit up Friday night between the post office and Lake City Bank with festivities beginning at about 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Cromwell library, also known as the Smith Opera House. The fun will move outside at about 7 p.m., weather permitting, for the tree lighting. There will be a community singing event, hot drinks and other activities.
House lighting contest The Ligonier Chamber of Commerce is having its annual home-lighting contest for the holiday season. All residents in the 46767 Zip code are invited to enter. Judging will be done on
Wanted: People to make windshields BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — They can’t build autos, trucks and sport-utililty vehicles without using windshields, and no one knows that better than the 460 employees at the Guardian Industries factory just west of Ligonier on U.S. 6. Guardian is believed to be Ligonier’s second-largest employer. The sprawling plant produces tens of thousands of pieces of custom glass each year for a variety of manufacturers, including General Motors, BMW and Volkswagen. Business is so good these days that the company, which has been in Ligonier for nearly 20 years, is in need of bodies to fill job openings, according to Kathy Davis, human relations manager for the Ligonier factory. “We currently employ roughly 360 full-time employees, five part-time employees and more than 100 temporary employees, many of whom will be offered full-time employment at the end of their contracts,� said Davis. “We currently have around 60 full-time production and maintenance positions available,� she added. The company is looking for skilled workers with experience in manufacturing maintenance and automation technology. “While on-the-job experience is preferred, it is not required, as we provide a week-long orientation process and are developing a comprehensive training program for all new hires,� she said. Guardian runs four 12-hour shifts at its Ligonier facility and has openings on all shifts.
Those workers stay busy making not just windshields, but side windows and other pieces of specialized glass for their customers. Products made in Ligonier are shipped across the world to fill orders. New changes in technology helped increase the demand for Guardian’s products. Windshields produced in Ligonier are much more sophisticated than they were just a couple of decades ago. These new “smart� windshields can sense rain and light and automatically turn on and adjust wipers and headlights, allowing the driver to keep eyes where they belong — on the road. Another new feature — solar management — focuses on handling the sun’s rays that beat down on a windshield. Guardian has developed silver guard infrared reflective solar control glass that reflects the sun’s heat while also adding tinting to the window. This allows for a cooler car or SUV, better fuel economy and lower emissions, according to Guardian officials. Last year the company expanded its physical presence in Ligonier, building a 30,000-square-foot addition on its west side. The addition helped the company secure new customers. Davis said anyone interested in applying for job has several options. Interested applicants can apply online at ligonierjobs. guardian.com or can fill out a hard-copy application in the lobby of the Ligonier factory. People can also apply through local temporary agencies.
Bob Buttgen
Guardian Automotive expanded its factory in Ligonier last year, adding 30,000 square feet of production space to the plant on U.S. 6 on the city’s west side.
The Advance Leader P.O. Box 30 Ligonier, IN 46767 Phone: 894-3102 • Fax: 894-3102
Dec. 6, so register by the end of today, Dec. 5. Register by calling the chamber office at SSIR at 894-9909, or by sending an email to chamber@ligtel.com.
Toy collection at high school The West Noble High School student council will be taking donations for the Noble County Miracle Tree on Saturday, before and during the West Noble boys basketball game against. Wawasee. Student Council members will be taking both new, unwrapped toys as well monetary donations to go towards purchasing new toys to be donated to Noble County Miracle Tree.
Christmas in the Village Also in Cromwell, the second annual craft and antique show, “Christmas in the
Village� will be held on the second floor of the Cromwell library on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15. In addition, vendors will also be at the Cromwell Community Center on Baker Street. Food concessions will be available at both locations. The show features crafts of local artisans, antiques, re-purposed items and good things to eat. Dec. 14 hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while Dec. 15 hours are noon to 3 p.m. Children can visit Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library on Saturday, Dec. 14. A shuttle is scheduled to be available between locations, from the library to the community center. The day’s events are sponsored by the Noble County Public Library West and the Cromwell-Kimmell Lions Club.
A second chance at life Ligonier minister donating a kidney to her son BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — It was 30 years ago that Candice Kaiser gave birth to her son, Brad. Now, the Rev. Candy Kaiser of Ligonier is going into a hospital a second time in order to help give her son a life-changing and possibly life-saving gift. Friday, Kaiser and Brad Robinson will enter the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis for a mother-son kidney transplant. Robinson will be on the receiving end of the operation, as his mom has gone through all of the exhaustive and complex tests necessary to make her a kidney donor. While her decision to donate one of her two kidneys to her son was not done lightly, it wasn’t a hard choice to make, she said. “There was never a question in my mind that I would go through the process of being screened to be a donor, after hearing the doctors describe the serious nature of his condition and how much better his prognosis would be with a live donor,� she said. “Without a live donor, we were told he would likely wait four to five years on the transplant list for a kidney. He was already on dialysis, so time was a critical factor,� she added.
Bob Buttgen
Brad Robinson and his mother, Rev. Candice Kaiser from Ligonier United Methodist Church, will check into the IU Medical Center Friday morning for a kidney transplant. The mother is donating one of her healthy kidneys to her son. while going through treatment and getting listed for transplant.�
Childhood condition
Power of faith
Robinson and his parents have known since he was a child that he might end up being a candidate for a kidney transplant. “My kidneys failed when I was 4 years old, and I had hemolitic uremic syndrome (HUS) from an eColi infection,� he said. “I was in the hospital for five weeks and recovered. I always knew at some point I’d be revisiting the problem, I guess I just thought I had a few more years.� Robinson was living in Seattle when his condition took a turn for the worse, less than a year ago. Doctors in Seattle didn’t waste much time in admitting him to the hospital for tests. “About a month before I was admitted to the hospital, I started noticing small changes,� he recalled. “There was a lot of change happening in my life, so I chalked it all up to stress. I was working three jobs, had an internship, and had just moved into a new living arrangement. “I was tired all the time, got nauseous almost every night, and was constantly tense. When my vision became affected, I knew for sure there was something really wrong. When I was diagnosed, I moved back to Indiana (where he grew up) to stay with family
Through it all, faith guided Robinson and Kaiser, along her husband and Brad’s stepfather, the Rev. Byron Kaiser of Ligonier United Methodist Church, through the processes that has led up to Friday’s operation. “My faith is a factor in every decision I make,� Candy Kaiser said, “and this one is no different. My faith tells me that God wants me to do what I can to help others. I believe that both of my sons are gifts from God, and were given to me to care for. “Now that they are adults, they don’t require the care they did when they were young, of course. But, now one of my sons is in need of a kidney, and I am blessed with two healthy ones. With all of this in mind, the decision was made prayerfully, but it was an easy decision.� The screening process for her to become a donor took months. First there was a phone interview, then blood tests. After that came more lab tests, an EKG, mammogram, cardiac stress test, chest X-ray and a complete physical exam for the potential donor. After all of those cleared, Kaiser went to Indianapolis for a CT scan of her kidneys, as well as evaluations by a nephrologist and a transplant
psychologist. Both Robinson and Kaiser know they were lucky to be matched, but that’s not uncommon between a parent and child. Many people have to wait years to find a suitable donor.
Many tried to be donors Robinson said many people stepped up to be tested as possible donors for him, and that was more cause for reflection. “I am very lucky to be getting this operation,� he said. “I can’t put into words what it feels like to know you have so much support, and to have it coming from family is really special. It has only been seven months since I was admitted to UW Hospital in Seattle. “Many of the dialysis patients I’ve gotten to know during that time have been doing their treatment for eight or more years, and many of them have been rejected as candidates and will never receive a transplant. Knowing how long just these seven months have felt, I cannot imagine being in their situation. It breaks my heart,� he said. His mother’s surgery will be longer than her son’s. She is expected to be in the operating room for five to six hours. Her son will be in the operating room next to hers, with another team of
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➤ Kidney donor, Page 2